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Keys to being a unique and memorable presenter Tuesday, September 12, 2006 Keys to being a unique and memorable presenterBy Jim Endicott, Owner/Manager of Distinction Communication, Inc. Note: I'm pleased to offer the first of periodic articles by Jim Endicott, a nationally-recognized executive coach, author, and speaker specializing in professional presentation messaging, design, and delivery. Jim was an award-winning columnist for "Presentations" magazine and has written for Business Week, Consulting and Selling Power. He is the co-author of The Presentation Survival Skills Guide. As I started working with a senior group of executive presenters one morning, I began to notice an uncharacteristic nervousness. Most of them had years of experience delivering extremely high stakes presentations but this particular morning, many of them tanked. So, what happened? A few months back I found myself working with this team in their mahogany-appointed corporate boardroom in Los Angeles. Over the previous six-months we had done a thorough assessment of internal and external perceptions, collaborated on more defined core presentation messaging and finally recreated their corporate sales presentation. The remaining essential element was the physical delivery piece - how well could they tell the corporate "story." This part should have been a no-brainer for these seasoned presenters. This day, however, would be anything but routine for them. As the video camera rolled to record their first pass through their assigned presentation area and their peers prepared to evaluate their performance, most of them developed an uncharacteristic set of nerves. One by one they assured me that "this wasn't how they usually presented" but over the course of the morning, there were only a few standouts. Let me tell you what happened that day and why you can stand out from the crowd with just a little effort in some key delivery skills areas. Preparation After we got through the first set of presentations, something was obviously wrong. As we discussed the events of the morning, one of the issues became clear. In nearly all cases, they had only received the presentation content they were to present a few days earlier and most tried to do a crash course on their flights to corporate. They knew the company story (or at least their version of it) down cold, but wrapping their knowledge around an unfamiliar set of presentation graphics took them off their prepared scripts. A few, however, excelled despite the last minute cram session. Caught up in the details For most, there was a conscious effort to try to thoroughly explain each bullet. Their "speeches" became heavy and sometimes full of company buzz words and jargon. The real winners that morning were those who realized that in delivering a duration-sensitive message about a many faceted business model, they didn't need to say it all. It wasn't critical that each business component be expounded. There simply wasn't enough time. The bullets became guideposts but not the presentation itself. The good presenters addressed themselves to the higher-level concepts that each slide described. In any presentation, simply reading each bullet will quickly insult the intelligence of your audience. Underscore bullet elements without taking your audience back to remedial reading class. If you've kept your bullets simple, the audience can quickly relate your spoken summary information to the bulleted items. Passion not process There were a few standouts that morning but not because they were flawless presenters. To the contrary, a few moved a bit too much in the presenter area. They didn't always know what to do with their hands. But that didn't matter. As they addressed their specific area of the presentation, there was something different about their voice and their room presence. They were truly enthusiastic about their subject matter. Their eyes sparkled and their voices took on additional dimension as their vocal pacing, inflection and volume conveyed the clear message that this wasn't a script. It was their life. We couldn't help but get swept along in their energy. I guess I could have critiqued their unnecessary movement more. I could have forced them to focus on keeping their hands comfortably at their sides when not gesturing but a preoccupation with style over passion would have shut down a stellar presentation. If it's really all about communicating with an audience - they clearly accomplished their objective with little help from me. Drawing in your audience The truly good presenters in the group would occasionally use the name of a person around the table (a pretend customer) and would relate the topic at hand back to a certain concern they had raised or question posed. The presentation took on more of a personal tone. Sure they were going to cover that point anyhow but the personal reference made all of us around the table feel like the presentation wasn't about them, it was all about us. What a difference. The power of self-awareness Most presenters are pretty unaware of how they are perceived by their audiences. We present time and time again with little or no feedback and sometimes rarely show improvement. As brutal as videotape may be, it's the ultimate reality check for anyone serious about becoming a better presenter. Areas like, how we move, how we gesture, how much undue attention do we give to the images on the screen, how well we work the room with our eyes, nervous habits that elude our consciousness - all are unable to escape the scrutiny of the camera. It's not about beating ourselves up. To the contrary, most of us do many things well and it simply takes more focused tools to further refine our skills. The power of self-awareness is the power to get beyond where we are today. Something many never do. By the end of the day, the members of the group were pretty tired but were leaving with a stronger sense of what they did well (we made a point of underscoring those things) and the areas on which they could work. What impressed me most is that they truly wanted to know. At a time when many executives seem to avoid situations that could be unnecessarily uncomfortable for them, this group leaned into the process. They were apprehensive at first but their desire for self-improvement would cause them to hang it all out in front of the toughest of all presentation audiences - their own peers. Source: Blogged on ~~~ Seven Steps to Writing Copy Your Market Will Actually Want to Read Thursday, July 06, 2006 Seven Steps to Writing Copy Your Market Will Actually Want to Readby Daphne Gray-Grant June 27, 2006 In a classic New Yorker cartoon, a man approaches the pearly gates. Saint Peter, greeting the new arrival, gestures to a sign saying "Birth, Death & Beyond" and comments, "Actually, I preferred 'Heaven,' too, but then the marketing guys got hold of it." Ah, the dreaded "m" word. Instead of inspiring awe and admiration, it's now more likely to prompt contempt and eye-rolling. And nowhere is that more true than when it comes to copywriting. Whether your medium is direct mail, Web site text, advertising, or simply, an e-zine article, your reader has less time and less inclination to read than ever before. The traditional advice for copywriters, of course, is to engage readers by focusing on problems rather than benefits. For example, software marketers shouldn't talk about RAM or gigabytes. They should describe how the software will allow a client to pull a report in half the time (solving, say, a customer service problem). Now I can't quibble with this counsel. It's spot on. Unfortunately, it just doesn't go far enough. In truth, a host of techniques can improve your readability. Here are seven of the best: 1. Begin with a story Always try to start your writing with an anecdote. This can be a story from one of your sources, a story from your company's history, even a theoretical story about an imaginary customer. We human beings are hard-wired to love stories, and it's possible to make almost any business point you want with an anecdote as I did at the beginning of this article, recounting the New Yorker cartoon. Most of all, remind yourself that the beginning of your story does NOT need to "sum up" your subject; your main job is to get the reader interested enough to read more. 2. Use short words Did you know the English language has 2-3 times MORE words than any other Western language? This might sound like a good thing, but it means trouble for you when you're writing. English is a mixture of several languages. Many of our words are from French and Latin. And they can be spotted by their endings—ion, ly, ous, ity, and ence. The trouble is, these French and Latin words are often abstract and don't give you a visual image when you read them. Our words of Anglo-Saxon origin, on the other hand, trend to refer to concrete things: straw, dirt, hill. Read those words, and your mind will race form a picture, which, in turn, encourages more reading. Anglo-Saxon words are also usually short. So my tip for you is to always try to use one- and two-syllable words over three- and four-syllable ones. A few longer words are fine, but mostly aim for short. 3. Write shorter sentences Just as you should use short words, you should also use short sentences. This habit will turbo-charge your writing. Short sentences force you to marshal your thoughts. They expose the underlying weakness of any argument. They prevent so many sticky grammatical problems. So, how short is short? Research into "readability" shows you should aim for an AVERAGE sentence length of about 14 words. Note the essential word "average." Some sentences should be really short. The previous sentence, for example, was just six words. But some should also be longer, so your stories don't sound like refugees from a grade 1 reader. Long sentences are like salt and pepper on your meal. They are an accent, a seasoning. Without them, the food might be bland. But don't overuse them! 4. Remove clichés Most marketing writing is larded with clichés? You know what I mean: • Think outside the box • Roll out the red carpet • Mad as a hatter • Put your ducks in a row • Make or break a situation • Don't know which way to turn Once upon a time, those expressions were fresh and carried meaning. (For example, hat makers in the 19th century used mercury compounds which truly did affect their brains, making them "mad.") But, today, such expressions are, well, dead as a doornail. Of course you won't be able to stop clichés from spilling out of your brain as you write—that's like trying to stop the rain from falling. But you can remove them when you rewrite. Let's say, for example, you're promoting Manhattan's garment district and you write: As you're driving through New York City's garment district, keep your eyes peeled so you don't miss the signs advertising sample sales. Just circle the cliché, "eyes peeled" and build on it to create a fresher image. It really doesn't take a whole lot of sweat: As you're driving through New York City's garment district, keep your sunglasses polished so you don't miss the signs advertising sample sales. 5. Use bridges or connectors Do you remember the last time you were driving somewhere and had to stop to ask for directions? Did the directions help? Or were you just as thoroughly befuddled at the end of the exchange ("Do I go right at the gas station, or do I wait for the three-way stop? Hmmmm...") Writing is also a little bit like giving directions. As the writer, you know the landscape. You've had the benefit of doing the research, conducting the interviews, pondering the material, and then writing it. Pity the poor reader, however, who is coming to all this information for the first time and finding it confusing. But "bridges" (also known as transitions, links, or connectors) can help prevent this confusion. Bridges are the words, phrases and stylistic devices that help direct the reader through your article. Here is a list of bridging words you can use to help make your copy easier to read: • Contrast: but, however, though, nevertheless, still, yet, on the other hand, conversely • Comparison: likewise, similarly, as well, besides, also, too • Example: specifically, for instance, here, there, for example, to illustrate, in fact • Time: now, then, in the past, soon, later, after, meanwhile, following, preceding • Sequence: first, second, third, next, last, finally • Cause and effect: as a result, therefore, because, hence, thus, consequently, so • Addition: moreover, furthermore, besides, in addition, also 6. Use concrete examples rather than concepts I read lots of e-zines and online newsletters, and I'm struck by how often writers obsess on concepts. You know what I mean: reliability, effectiveness, customer service, information overload. All of these things are important, worthy topics of course. But readers will have a hard time focusing on something that's so abstract. Fortunately, this problem is easy to solve. Just bring your abstract idea to life by giving concrete examples. That is, write about a customer who had this problem. And show how you (or they) solved it. If you're uncertain about how to incorporate anecdotes into your writing, get any self-help book out of the library and see how it's liberally peppered with stories about real people. It's no accident that these books are best-sellers. Treat them as swipe files—teaching you how to write lively, concrete, must-read copy. 7. Pay attention to your verbs There's a mistaken notion, perpetuated by grade-school English teachers, that really zippy writing comes from adjectives. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If you want to write copy that readers can't resist, focus on your verbs. Often described as the "workhorse" of the sentence, verbs power your writing. Consider these, for example: squander, obstruct, bluster, poach. Each a single word, and each freighted with meaning. To make your writing spring to life, try replacing "state of being" verbs—is, am, were, was, are, be, being, been—with true action verbs. (Use the search key—control + F—then type in "is" or "was" and whenever you find it, try to remove it.) For example: "XYZ cola is a drink that will give you energy" could become "Jolt your body alive with XYZ cola." * * * Follow these seven tips, and, unlike Saint Peter, you won't have to be embarrassed by your team's marketing efforts. Daphne Gray-Grant, a former journalist, is a writing and editing coach with an international practice. She offers a free weekly e-zine called Power Writing. For more information, vist www.publicationcoach.com. Source: http://www.marketingprofs.com/print.asp?source=%2F6%2Fgray%2Dgrant1%2Easp Blogged on ~~~
How To Be an Ace Speaker Blogged on ~~~ Mengingat Bahan Bicara Wednesday, July 05, 2006 Mengingat Bahan Bicara
Source: Milis Bicara Blogged on ~~~
Source: Milis Bicara Blogged on ~~~
Menilai Kecemasan Komunikasi Source: milis Bicara Blogged on ~~~ Mempengaruhi Audience Tuesday, June 20, 2006 Mempengaruhi Audience (Deskripsi)Tips ini adalah ringkasan dari Bab XX buku Dale Carnegie "The Artof Public Speaking", sebagai kelanjutan dari MempengaruhiAudience dengan Eksposisi. KARAKTER Mendeskripsikan, berarti memanggil kembali berbagai gambaran danbayangan yang ada di kepala audience. Mendeskripsikan, berartimemberi visualisasi. Alat dan kelengkapannya, adalah segala apa yangada hubungannya dengan artis pelukis. Kuas, cat, warna, cahaya,stroke, garis, bidang (topinya yang lucu...). Deskripsi bicaratentang efek, dan tidak tentang struktur teknis. Eksposisi:Umum, ide, abstrak, internal, angka, jumlah, intelektual, nonpersonal. Deskripsi:Khusus, membendakan, kongkrit, eksternal, huruf, tulisan, kata, pancaindera, personal. Mendeskripsikan sesuatu, berarti memvisualisasikan segala hal yangpernah dilihat sendiri oleh pembicara (personal-subjektif). Melihatsendiri dengan "mata" atau melihat sendiri dengan "mata batin".Penekanannya, ada di "mata batin". Deskripsi:- Scientific description;- Artistic description. METODE Deskripsi pada dasarnya tidak hanya "mengatakan", lebih dari itudeskripsi adalah "mengusulkan" gambaran atau bayangan tentang sesuatuhal kepada pikiran audience. Oleh sebab itu, kemampuan mendeskripsisangat tergantung pada keahlian memberi usulan dan masukan.Berikut ini adalah macam-macam bentuk deskripsi. PETUNJUK SEDERHANA"Kucing itu lebat sekali bulunya." GAMBARAN EFEK"Pemandangan itu tak urung membuatnya pucat pasi." JULUKAN ATAU GELARAN"Tinggi tubuhnya yang di atas rata-rata tinggi orang Indonesia,membuat teman-teman Rudi memanggilnya 'tiang listrik'". KATA KIASAN"Saat ini, Indonesia sedang menjadi bulan-bulanan kemarahan buminyasendiri." LANGSUNG"Gelas itu tersenggol sikunya, jatuh ke lantai, dan pecah berkeping-keping." Deskripsi langsung dari sebuah even langsung (live show), dengan satuatau dua paragraf, seringkali menjadi catatan sejarah. Komentarseorang komentator olah raga, bisa menjadi contoh yang menarik:"Somad mengejar bola. Dudung mengambil posisi di kiri. Oper ke Budi.Terlalu rendah saudara-saudara. Disundul!. Bola melenceng ke arahkiri dan keluar. Mahmud melempar bola ke dalam. Direbut Jangkung!Terjadi sengketa di mulut gawang... Goooool!." Pada pertandingan yang amat memikat, deskripsi seperti di atas bisabertahan puluhan tahun. Dan pada saat diceritakan kembali, ia takseperti masa lalu, melainkan seperti kejadian nyata yang berlangsungtepat di hadapan audience.Sekarang, apa saja tips terbaik untuk menyampaikan deskripsi Anda? PUTUSKAN SUDUT PANDANG Jika Anda bercerita tentang situasi dan keadaa Gunung Merapi yangsedang murka, pendengar Anda tidak bisa membayangkan 'melihat' GunungMerapi dari semua sisi. Oleh sebab itu, penyebutan hal-hal spesifik,seperti nama desa atau arah mata angin misalnya, menjadi hal yangpenting dan tidak boleh dilupakan. Desa Kinaharjo, Kawasan Kaliurang,Kali Gendol dan seterusnya. Ambil sudut pandang, dan jangan lupamemberitahu saat Anda berpindah ke sudut pandang yang lain."Sekarang kita beralih ke Desa Sentul di Utara Gunung Merapi." PILIH SIKAP TERHADAP SUBJEK Jangan menceritakan soal Gunung Merapi yang sedang menyemburkan'wedhus gembel' dan membuat orang-orang desa berlarian denganpanik, dengan wajah ceria atau sambil tertawa."He...he...lihatlah para pemirsa, mereka berlarian jungkir balikseperti dunia ini mau kiamat saja."Itu sama sekali tidak lucu. SESUAIKAN MOOD Kurang lebih sama dengan yang di atas. Mood, berkaitan denganekspresi internal. Sikap, berkaitan dengan ekspresi eksternal ataupenampakan fisik. PERHATIKAN URUTAN DAN KEMULUSAN Berikan gambaran yang logis dan mulus saat menggeser deskripsi dari:- Maju dan mundur;- Jauh dan dekat;- Dulu, sekarang, nanti;- Umum dan khusus;- Besar dan kecil;- Penting dan tidak penting;- Fisik dan mental.Begitulah yang berlaku untuk proses bolak-balik dari satu ekstrem keekstrem lainnya. Percampuran dan ketidakteraturan atau ketidakurutandalam deskripsi, akan membuat audience Anda terbingung-bingungmengikuti Anda. BUANG YANG TAK BERGUNA Pilihlah gambaran yang memang signifikan. Pilihlah menjadi 'usulan',apa-apa yang paling kuat untuk divisualisasi oleh audience Anda.Begitu pula, buang segala kata atau kalimat yang tidak berguna.Ingatlah bahwa segala hal berpotensi memperkuat atau memperlemahgambaran Anda. SESUAIKAN DENGAN ISI KEPALA MEREKA Berikanlah uraian yang memang mungkin menjadi bahan baku untukgambaran audience Anda. Usahakan agar 'usul gambar' Anda memang bisadicerna dan diterima sebagai gambaran yang masuk akal bagi mereka. BULAT DAN TIDAK MBULAT Setiap gambaran deskripsi haruslah bulat, jelas dan jernih. Libatkansetiap emosi yang sesuai dengan gambaran Anda. Kemudian, upayakanagar emosi-emosi itu juga diproduksi pada saat yang sama di kepalamereka. Ingatlah bahwa deskripsi adalah panas dan emosional.Terakhir, ingatlah bahwa dari keseluruhan deskripsi Anda, bagian awaldan bagian akhir harus menjadi bagian-bagian yang paling mengesankan,dan penting untuk diingat berlama-lama. source: milis Bicara Blogged on ~~~ What the Class of '06 May Tell You to Do With That PowerPoint Presentation Thursday, June 15, 2006 What the Class of '06 May Tell You to Do With That PowerPoint PresentationYour whiteboard and tidy packets of handouts may go the way of the rotary phone when it comes to the Class of '06. This newest slew of grads, born around 1985, will require training that offers an array of choices and the ability to search for the information they need just at the time they need it most, says John Ambrose, vice president and general manager of online reference-ware provider Books24 x 7, a division of Nashua, N.H.-based e-learning vendor SkillSoft (www.skillsoft.com). Books24 x 7 provides online libraries whose contents can be culled from with searches for specific pieces of information. Ambrose says that first of all, whatever you do will have to appeal to these young people's visual perspective. "They grew up in an era of large TVs, VCRs and DVDs," he notes. "To the extent that video can be integrated into the learning experience, that's important." Their comfort using technology, and especially the Web, should be made the most of with coursework and online resources always available to them, if not made the primary format for their learning. They also are at their peak multi-tasking. Rather than have tunnel vision about their task, new grads will likely be most gratified by training that is as all encompassing as possible. "They thrive in a media-rich world," he emphasizes. "They almost enjoy being bombarded with lots of different input, and then they like being able to ferret out just the nuggets they want, and don't want to be bothered with the stuff that's not particularly relevant to them." So, that means plenty of immersive learning activities such as simulations, and the ability, such as that provided by Books24 x 7, of systems that allow them to pick and choose, cafeteria style, the exact combination of information resources they need for the work at hand, Ambrose says.For example, "They could do a search, and then immediately be given a results list of a half dozen books from organizations like Harvard Business School Press or Stanford University Press," he says of the online library his company offers. "They would be given that results list so it's a very visually stimulating interface. They literally see the covers of the books, and they can scan that almost as if they were scanning Amazon.com."In addition to the plethora of choices, this kind of online resource suits new grads' needs because it's not passive. They are able to take the initiative and search for the information they need easily, rather than be given lengthy photocopies, assignments to read long books from a physical library or even links to sprawling Web sites they may have to waste time searching through to find the precise tidbit of information they need. "We show the worker the most relevant books--they've been ranked by relevancy--and we've also pulled out the most relevant sections, so they can browse the headings of those sections, and with one click, they can go right to that section," Ambrose says. Along with book content, students are also able to search through SkillSoft online courseware for useful information.It's a whole new learning modality, he stresses. "The new generation would rely on search, which is a very comfortable paradigm for them," Ambrose points out. "Ten years ago, it was all about course completion. Course completion is the old paradigm of sitting passively, and going through an entire course from beginning to end. Now organizations are looking at minutes of usage as a real indicator of learning." Source : Inside Training – Training Magazine Blogged on ~~~ Tips pembicara Saturday, June 03, 2006 FAQ-nya PembicaraTerjemahan bebas dari materi oleh:Paul DanielsSebagai pembicara, Anda pasti punya sangat banyak pertanyaan yangbutuh jawaban. Saat waktu mulai mendekati sesi bicara, pertanyaan itumakin berseliweran. Jika Anda tak bisa menjawabnya, maka semua ituakan tetap menggantung di pelupuk mata selama Anda bicara.S yukur, jika Anda tidak pernah dihinggapi berbagai pertanyaan-pertanyaan sejenis itu. Tapi, cepat atau lambat, seiring denganbertambahnya jam bicara Anda, pertanyaan-pertanyaan berikut inilahyang paling sering melintas di kepala Anda. 1. BAGAIMANA JIKA AUDIENCE PENTING TIDAK DATANG KE SESI BICARA? Sesuaikanlah materi Anda dengan situasi dan kondisi audience yangtersisa. Kemudian, buat pesan-pesan khusus, yang Anda "minta" untukdisampaikan kepada orang-orang penting itu.Berikan penekanan, dan buatlah struktur pesan yang sederhana. Ingatlahbahwa "nitip uang berkurang, nitip omong bertambah." 2. BAGAIMANA JIKA ADA YANG KURANG DARI KELENGKAPAN SAYA? Bersiaplah untuk membackup materi Anda. Anda tidak akan pernah tahubagaimana musibah bisa datang tiba-tiba. Mati listrik, bohlam LCDmeletus, mikropon mati, layar slide kekecilan, file terhapus, notebookterjatuh atau mati, dan seterusnya.Manfaatkan apa yang ada, teknologi baru atau cara baru. CDROM,flashdisk, print out, alamat rental LCD projector, no telepon daruratke rumah dan ke kantor, dan sebagainya. 3. BERAPA KALIKAH SAYA HARUS MEMBACA LAGI MATERI PRESENTASI SAYA? Sebanyak mungkin, selama Anda masih nyaman melakukannya. Ingat ini:Berhentilah jika Anda sudah mulai bosan, mual atau ingin muntah.Beristirahatlah dengan cukup, lakukan hal yang berbeda. Setelah cukuprileks, Anda bisa membacanya lagi.Soal jumlah, adalah soal yang relatif dan subjektif. Biasanya, enamatau tujuh kali sudah memadai.Memaksakan diri untuk terus-menerus menelan materi bicara, akanmembuat Anda kehilangan gairah dan semangat, justru di saatterpenting, yaitu saat Anda tampil ke muka dan berbicara.Ingat juga hal ini: TIDAK ADA yang bisa menggantikan dua hal, yaitupersiapan dan latihan. 4. SAYA TIDAK BICARA SENDIRI DAN DI SANA ADA PEMBICARA LAIN,SAYA HARUS BAGAIMANA? Tidak perlu terpengaruh oleh orang lain dalam gaya dan metode bicara.Jadilah diri sendiri. Keunikan Anda adalah yang nomor satu sebagaipembicara. Materi boleh sama, tapi "Anda" harus berbeda.Mencoba meniru orang lain, apalagi secara tiba-tiba, hanya akanmembuat Anda tersiksa.Atau, Anda ingin tampil beda? Boleh saja. Tapi jangan memaksa. 5. MULUT SAYA KERING! Ya minum dong.Segelas air di sudut meja, adalah penolong Anda.Anda haus dan bermulut kering, minum.Anda terjebak pertanyaan sulit, minum.Anda harus menggali ulang isi kepala Anda, minum.Gelas itu bisa menunda bicara Anda.Bahkan, impresi bisa diberikan dengan menunda atau memberi jeda,sebelum melanjutkan bicara.Bagaimana melakukannya? Minum!Minum akan menjadikan Anda manusiawi, dan itu, secara bawah sadaradalah hal yang paling nyata bagi audience Anda. Mereka mendengarkanseseorang yang sama dengan mereka.Yaitu sama-sama manusia. Blogged on ~~~ Lima Rahasia Presentasi Terjemahan bebas dari materi oleh Debbie Bailey, pengarang buku:"15 Presentation Secrets - How to WOW Even the Toughest Audience."Anda diminta untuk menyampaikan sebuah presentasi penting. Anda tahubahwa persoalan TERBANYAK ada pada bagaimana menyampaikannya. TapiAnda juga tahu, bahwa persoalan TERBESAR ada pada bagaimanamemulainya. Lima rahasia presentasi berikut ini akan merubah hidup Anda. RAHASIA 1 - MANAJEMEN PANIK DAN TAKUT Atur dan kontrollah kepanikan, kecemasan, dan ketakutan serta rasagugup Anda, sehingga bukan mereka yang mengatur dan mengontrol Anda.Apa yang Anda alami saat semua hal destruktif itu terjadi, adalahpersis sama dengan apa yang Anda alami saat Anda bersemangat. Andahanya perlu merubah karakteristiknya. Itu semua adalah adrenalin. Dantidak lebih atau kurang, itu adalah energi.Untuk energi itu, jika kita menyebutnya gugup maka ia menjadi buruk. Dan jika kita menyebutnya semangat, maka ia menjadi baik.Maka, langkah pertama yang harus Anda lakukan, adalah mengganti semualabel dan penamaan untuk setiap gejala, yang selama ini menurut Andaburuk, dengan berbagai sebutan lain yang mencerminkan hal positif. Dantentu saja, hal positif selalu lebih 'aturable' alias bisa diatur.Dari situ, Anda bisa menciptakan antusiasme untuk sesi bicara Anda. RAHASIA 2 - MENJADI DIRI SENDIRI Menjadi diri sendiri adalah keharusan, jika Anda sudah sampai ke titikdelivery alias penyampaian materi presentasi. Setiap orang punya gaya.Siapakah yang terbaik untuk menampilkan gaya Anda?Jadilah "gue banget" saat menyampaikan presentasi. Diri Anda,diciptakan dengan berbagai aspek yang terlalu unik untuk bisadibandingkan dengan manusia yang lain. Inilah kebesaran Tuhan. SuaraAnda, Tubuh Anda, Wajah, gaya bahasa, dan tingkat formalitas Anda,adalah "Anda banget". Jangan sia-siakan semua itu.Banyak pembicara, sangat berfokus -- tepatnya: terfokus -- pada kata-kata yang akan keluar dari mulut mereka. Padahal, sekali lagi, kata-kata hanya berkontribusi 7% untuk kekuatan presentasi Anda.Menghamburkan energi untuk hal itu, adalah pemborosan.Pembicara yang kata-katanya belepotan, selalu lebih baik jika Iamenjadi diri sendiri, daripada pembicara yang bagus tutur dan katanya,tapi begitu mencolok dalam mencoba menjadi orang lain selain dirinyasendiri.Segala sesuatu yang non verbal -- biasa disebut dengan presentationpersonality, menyumbang lebih dari 90% untuk keberhasilan Anda. Fokuslah pada aspek yang paling real dan paling berpengaruh untukkeberhasilan sesi bicara Anda. Fokuslah pada kontak mata, ekspresi,bahasa tubuh, pergerakan, pakaian, suara, dan diam. RAHASIA 3 - BERI MAKA ANDA AKAN MENERIMA Jika Anda ingin audience bersemangat, Anda harus bersemangat. JikaAnda ingin audience berpikir, Anda harus berpikir. Jika Anda inginaudience tertawa, tertawalah Anda. Jika Anda ingin audience menangis,menangislah Anda. Jika Anda ingin produk Anda dibeli, Andalah pembelipertamanya. Atau setidaknya, Andalah orang pertama yang banggapadanya! Dengan catatan, tentu saja produk Anda memang pantasdibanggakan.Ada faktanya. Menurut laporan riset (dari sebuah institusi yangbernama Lamalle) terhadap eksekutif puncak yang berpenghasilan lebihdari $250,000 setahun, keberhasilan mereka, 46% ditentukan oleh sikappositif dan antusiasme.Jika Anda merasa bisa, maka Anda akan bisa. Jika Anda merasa akangagal, maka gagallah Anda. Satu hal yang Anda harus ingat, menjadikanpositif berbagai energi, akan membuat Anda rileks. RAHASIA 4 - JANGAN PERNAH MEMINTA MAAF, MENGAKUI KEBURUKAN, ATAUMENCIPTAKAN PEMBENARAN Tentu saja, kecuali jika Anda punya alasan yang sah untuk melakukanhal itu. Dalam banyak kasus, Anda memang tidak perlu meminta maaf,mengakui keburukan atau menciptakan pembenaran dalam sesi bicara Anda."Maaf, Saya agak pilek hari ini. Jadi suara Saya mungkin akan sedikitaneh."Untuk apa Anda mengatakan itu? Adakah sesuatu yang positif bagi sesi bicara Anda? Anda merasa perlu dikasihani? Untuk apa? Supaya merekamembeli? Biarkan mereka sendiri yang menciptakan permakluman untukAnda."Maaf, Saya kurang siap hari ini."Itu jelas berbahaya. Salah satu bahaya terbesarnya adalah, Andasendirilah yang menciptakan distorsi dan distraksi bagi audience Anda. Segera setelah Anda mengatakannya, audience Anda akan mencari berbagaibukti untuk membenarkan pernyataan Anda. Anda yang memancing toh?Setiap kali pernyataan negatif keluar dari mulut Anda, maka sebenarnyaAnda mengatakan hal ini:"Jangan berharap banyak dari Saya." RAHASIA 5 - LIBATKAN MEREKA Manusia adalah pendengar yang BURUK. Rata-rata, setiap sembilan detik,setiap audience akan mendengarkan hal lain selain suara Anda."Penyimpangan mental" mereka ini, memang terhitung kecil setiapkalinya. Tapi ingatlah kenyataannya; setiap sembilan detik!Ini artinya, suara Anda seperti riuh dan rendah. Naik dan turun,terdengar dan tidak terdengar. Audience cenderung melupakan 80% pesanAnda.Di situlah bergunanya perangkat non verbal Anda. Suara, alat bantuvisual, alat peraga dan sebagainya. Itu sebabnya, Anda harus terlatihmenciptakan berbagai hal yang "memaksa" mereka mau mendengarkan Anda,terlebih lagi di saat-saat tertentu. Di saat-saat mereka melanglangbuana, yang bisa dipahami dari reaksi mereka.Contoh paling sederhana adalah apa yang biasa dilakukan AA Gym dengan:"Haloo? Gimana nih Bapak-bapak?". Cara yang juga efektif, adalah melupakan persoalan telinga mereka,dan melibatkan mereka secara langsung dalam sesi bicara. Flesh andblood. Perasaannya, pikirannya, aktivitasnya, tindakannya, nurani,panca indera, hati dan fisiknya.Dengan semua itu, "lupa" mereka bisa ditekan sampai 50%. SUPAYA MEREKA MENGINGAT PESAN ANDA1. Bertanyalah kepada audience Anda; 2. Libatkan mereka dalam survey atau polling; 3. Ajak mereka mendemonstrasikan berbagai hal; 4. Uji atau tes mereka; 5. Secara eksplisit, minta mereka mendengarkan poin-poin tertentu; 6. Ciptakan gimmick. Itu baru lima. Bagaimana hidup Anda akan berubah dengan lima belasrahasia? Blogged on ~~~ TIPS DARI KONVENSI NSA 2003 Thursday, May 18, 2006 TIPS DARI KONVENSI NSA 2003Berikut ini adalah kumpulan tips berbicara, yang terungkap dalam konvensi National Speakers Association (NSA) tahun 2003 di New Orleans. NSA adalah organisasi para pembicara di Amerika, dan merupakan salah satu asosiasi pembicara yang paling bergengsi di dunia. 1. Saat Anda mengalami kebocoran dalam pikiran karena tidak fokus, grogi, tidak mood, kurang siap dan sebagainya - Anda mengalami kebocoran energi untuk bicara; 2. Dengan terus menerus khawatir dan takut berbicara, kita akan terjauhkan dari tujuan hidup; 3. Tingkatkan kemampuan berbicara dengan cara dan gaya Anda sendiri; 4. Logika akan membuat orang berpikir. Emosi membuat mereka bertindak; 5. Expertise bukanlah tentang apa yang Anda ketahui... Expertise adalah tentang apa yang Anda lakukan dengan apa yang Anda ketahui; 6. Bertanya itu pintar, tapi menjawab memunculkan kebijaksanaan; 7. Pelajarilah: cara mengontrol bahasa, cara mengontrol hubungan antar manusia, cara mengontrol bisnis; 8. Dengan merasa takut bicara kita tidak kemana-mana, kita tetap di sana dengan penuh risiko; 9. Saat Anda tahu bahwa Anda adalah pembicara (apapun profesi Anda), Anda sudah 80% siap untuk bicara. 20% lainnya, akan datang sendiri; 10. Dapatkah Anda membuat topik atau presentasi yang bisa disampaikan dalam banyak cara dan tetap bisa menarik perhatian? 11. Buatlah sebuah pernyataan yang pendek tapi meyakinkan tentang pekerjaan Anda, sehingga Anda bisa mengingatnya dan mengulangnya untuk diri Anda sendiri beberapa kali sehari; 12. Lakukan apa yang harus dikerjakan sehari-hari sampai menghasilkan sesuatu; 13. Perilaku alias akhlak, adalah segalanya; 14. Saat menjawab telepon jangan pernah mengatakan "hai". Katakan "dengan.... di sini"; 15. Suara Anda adalah wajah kedua Anda, juga senyum kedua Anda. Berkacalah; 16. Apa tantangan terbesar Anda dalam berbicara? 17. Apa kriteria Anda saat mengambil keputusan? 18. Apa yang paling Anda sukai dari pembicara terakhir yang Anda dengar? 19. Hindari bias saat berbicara; 20. Ingatlah bahwa pembicara yang baik adalah entertainer dunia usaha. (sumber : milis bicara) Blogged on ~~~ the reasons.. Sunday, January 01, 2006 from TRDEF mailing list:"Without doubt, PowerPoint is the most used product for creating effective visuals for many types of training," says Jan van Vledder ( jan@vanvledder.myadsl.nl ). "As reader Heather Smith mentioned in the December 1 issue, it does the job. You can quickly create a great course outline, review and edit, and in the end have an excellent set of training material." van Vledder uses the Notes view to create speaker notes for instructors (not for the students), and she often uses the normal PowerPoint handouts (e.g., three slides on a page) -- but says that this method has "known limitations." “For more flexibility in creating effective and attractive student guides,” van Vledder copies and pastes the PowerPoint slides into Word. "You can copy the slide from the Notes view. In Word, you can create the student manual/handout by adding text, questions and exercises. Especially when you paste the illustrations into a simple table (one row, two columns), you can manipulate the layout of every page according to your ideas, including short captions next to the illustrations. Furthermore, you can resize a slide when required, crop a picture, and use each slide more times in this manual when required." The only downside? "When you change your PowerPoint slideshow, you may have to edit the Word handouts. But, then again, that's only a matter of copying and pasting." van Vledder is a training consultant at MultiWare, which provides managed training services for multinational organizations and is based in The Netherlands. Blogged on ~~~ Use white backgrounds Sunday, November 27, 2005 Use white backgrounds
Blogged on ~~~ Fit text in a placeholder or autoshape Thursday, November 17, 2005 Fit text in a placeholder or autoshape Blogged on ~~~ 8 Secrets to a Knockout Business Presentation Tuesday, November 15, 2005 8 Secrets to a Knockout Business PresentationBy Darrell Zahorsky The presentation is starting. Dim the lights. Time for a nap. These are the thoughts of many audiences subject to yet another boring business presentation. How can you awaken the cognitive powers of your audience? Start by learning the 8 secrets of a knockout business presentation. Dig Deep: Having an effective business presentation that will have the audience on their feet requires more than the usual factoid dropped into your PowerPoint. Find a relevant fact beyond your topic norm. Give them the unexpected. The one obscure and contradictory piece of information that will raise heads and stimulate discussion. Where do you find such information? Go past the typical quick search engine scan. Check out educational websites for new research, interview industry mavericks, or scour the business press. Avoid Info Overload: PowerPoint expert Cliff Atkinson, author of "Beyond Bullet Points" says, "When you overload your audience, you shut down the dialogue that's an important part of decision-making." He points to some important research by educational psychologists. "When you remove interesting but irrelevant words and pictures from a screen, you can increase the audience's ability to remember the information by 189% and the ability to apply the information by 109%," recommends Atkinson. Practice Delivery: A knockout business presentation is so captivating it makes you forget about the speaker and become absorbed in the talk. Practice your delivery over and over until you remove the distractions including nervous tics and uncomfortable pauses. Pay particular attention to your body language. Is it non-existent or overly excessive? Good presenters work the stage in a natural manner. Forget Comedy: Business presenters will flirt with the temptation to deliver the stand up humor of Chris Rock. Remember your audience didn't come to laugh; this is a business presentation. Leave your jokes at home. It's ok to throw in a few natural off the cuff laughs but don't overdo it. Pick Powerful Props: You don't need a box full of props like the watermelon-smashing comic, Gallagher. A few simple props to demonstrate a point can be memorable in the minds of your target audience. Management guru, Tom Peters, uses a cooking timer to show how quickly factory expansion is occurring in China. Minimize You: "Frankly, your audience doesn't care as much about your company history, as they do about whether you can help them solve the specific problems they face. Write a script for your presentation that makes the audience the protagonist, or the main character, who faces a problem that you will help them to solve," says Atkinson. Speak the Language: A knockout business presentation doesn't leave people wondering what you said. It might be tempting to throw in a few big words but are you alienating your audience? Always explain terms and acronyms. The number of smart executives who aren't up on the latest terminology would surprise you. Simple Slides: Beware of the PowerPoint presentation. Many corporate brains will turn off at the sight of yet another PowerPoint presentation. Over 400 million desktops currently have the PowerPoint application. If you want your business to stand out, don't be like everyone else. Use slides in your knockout presentation to highlight and emphasize key points. Don't rely on your slide projector to run the show. It all comes down to what your audience walks away with in the end. Did you deliver another boring business presentation? Or did you persuade or motivate everyone to action? Apply the 8 secrets to a knockout presentation and watch your ratings soar. http://sbinformation.about.com/od/sales/a/presentationtip.htm Blogged on ~~~ White Backgrounds Sunday, November 13, 2005 Use white backgrounds
Blogged on ~~~ Way you presents .. Monday, November 07, 2005 The Six Rules of Web WritingBy: Merry Burns Source: Executive Update, Feature Article Published: November 2003 1. Create content for readers. 2. Show them the benefits. 3. Write to reach them. 4. Write more concisely. 5. Format for scanning. 6. Become interactive. Your Web site is your business card — your front door — and the first view visitors have of your organization. A well-written, well-designed site tells visitors what you are doing for them and how you are addressing their needs and priorities. People often make snap decisions based on what they see, and Web site content is no exception. Sometimes our decisions are erroneous. Associations that are truly member-driven may have sites that don't reflect it due to weak editing and editorial decisions regarding Web content and focus. Other sites look promising, with pricey designs, great visuals, and clever animation, but on second glance they have unreadable pages of dense text, a lack of reader focus, and myriad usability challenges. Fortunately, associations can do a lot to dramatically improve that crucial first impression and position themselves for repeat visits by customers, members, and other site visitors. Web editing and writing are skills that anyone can learn, and the payoffs — well-informed members, loyal customers, impressed donors, satisfied media, and more — certainly are worth the effort. Here are six guidelines to get your started. Create Content for Your Reader Before talking to designers and programmers, you should recognize that developing a visitor-oriented focus is the most important item in any Web content strategy. Too often, overworked managers bury this critical element deep beneath the complex physical business of creating or relaunching a Web site, learning a content management system, or deciding who does what for the site. As a result, the reader — the very reason for the site — is missing from the process. Perhaps the hardest part about Web content strategies is determining what's important to your readers as opposed to what's important to the organization. Your association's goals and those of your audience are sometimes aligned, but occasionally they may conflict. It's tempting to think that what drives the internal workings of the organization — the processes by which things happen — are important and need to be prominently displayed on your Web site. But sometimes these internal issues are the ones least likely to demonstrate that you are thinking about visitors' needs, problems, and goals. They don't work at your organization; why should they care? Look through the expansive pages of your site and ask yourself at each screen, "How well does this content address our visitors' questions and problems? Does this page show readers that we understand what's most important for them, or does it reflect primarily the meetings, processes, and tasks of the organization?" Note that the question is not "Are we giving our readers enough information about the workings of our organization?" but "Do we understand enough about our readers to know what they need our help with, and are we giving it to them on our Web site?" Show Them the Benefits When placing informational content online — current events, association news, calendars, or e-learning opportunities, for instance — association writers must edit the information for maximum impact, so members can see immediately why and how the information benefits them. Simply uploading information about an industry trade show and allowing members to register online are not enough. Tell them that attending the trade show will give them a unique chance to meet 500 potential buyers in their industry. Identify the specific ways the organization's event will meet their needs and desires. Share stories of real value gained from happy past participants. Analyze your content as you edit it to go online: * Can your products streamline members' workloads? * Will attendance at your next conference give people a huge discount on your products or a chance to interact with key speakers? * Will your online classes give customers a jump on their competition in clearly defined ways? As we increasingly rely on the Web for practical information, we're always looking for things that will help us work more efficiently, improve the quality of our jobs and home life, and keep us competitive. Showing your readers exactly how your information can help them achieve these goals is a good way to guarantee loyalty for your site. Write to Reach Them Text on Web sites should speak directly to the people you're trying to reach, so use appropriate language for the reader. Generally, Web writing styles are more conversational than in print, since we are, in effect, extending a friendly handshake to anyone who comes by and may be interested in what we're offering. Jargon is a disaster on Web sites, since the audience is global. Your Web site is not your intranet, and outside readers can't possibly understand in-house terms. A pontifical tone and a pedantic writing style make pages seem canned and artificial. We all are annoyed by Web sites that appear to talk down to us, are filled with excessive marketing hype, or are clearly written from an insider-only perspective. Writing for the reader in a more conversational tone also can ensure a clearer writing style, one that is more like the way we normally talk when explaining something. Clearer writing makes information more accessible, and readers are less likely to misunderstand what we're saying. Direct, clear, and friendly writing also draws an instinctive, positive reaction from the reader. Informational text, presented in question form and answered the way we'd answer someone verbally, makes readers feel included, not excluded. We appear to be simply talking to them, happy to provide them with information. Write More Concisely Reading online is harder than reading print. Most documents we put online come from print versions. They're written to be read line by line, page by page. Unfortunately, people generally do not read Web pages that way. Sun Microsystems, which conducts usability testing on the way people read text on their monitors, determined that approximately 79 percent of readers skimmed through a Web page, and only 11 percent read online text line by line, as they would for a print piece. Many physical reasons make online reading an uncomfortable experience. Staring at a screen makes your eyes weary, since you are focusing on fuzzy light. Indistinct text (much less legible than print) causes eye strain, especially when Web designers choose ridiculously small font sizes. Because few people enjoy reading lengthy documents online, it pays to make your writing as concise as possible, whether you're starting from scratch or editing a print piece to go online. Include everything you need to say but try saying it with fewer words. Writing more concisely allows the reader to get at the information with less effort, since less time is needed to read it. You may have read that everything you put online needs to be shortened by half. Not true. Sometimes just tightening the text a bit can make a huge difference. Writing with brevity online gets the meaning across faster and with greater impact and better reader retention. Usability tests show dramatic improvements in reader retention and comprehension with shorter text. Format for Scanning Those pages and pages of text on Web sites — each filled with long, unbroken paragraphs — are almost impossible to plow through in monitor-sized chunks. Too often, they are pulled straight from printed documents and "repurposed" as either a PDF document or a "Save As HTML" Web page. Your reader is scanning those pages, seeing only a small piece of the document at a time, looking for something, anything, to let them know what the information is about. Your readers are busy, impatient, and focused entirely on getting at the nuggets of information in your document. Thus, they will profoundly appreciate a skim-friendly format. Outline the ideas, concepts, points, or directions in your documents so readers can skim and retain the main points, understand any steps to follow, and grasp your most important concepts. Start the formatting process by thinking about questions your reader might have about the material: * Where is the keyword I'm looking for? Any phrases here look like possible candidates? * What's this page about? Do I have to read every word to find out what it means? * How long is this thing anyway? Use bullets, bold formatting, and spacing to create visual pathways through the material. Insert subheads over related paragraph blocks and make them shorter. It's a new way of thinking about processes you probably already know how to do. You also will need to thoroughly understand the document's content, because you may want to organize the information differently to create a clearer layout. Become Interactive The Web gives us tools that let us interact with our visitors in new ways. We can question, converse, and give instant feedback to members, customers, and others who want to do something on our site, whether ordering a book, registering for a conference, or finding directions for a meeting. Visuals, even something as simple as a diagram, often communicate ideas more clearly than text alone. Web tools, including anything from forms to Flash, can show processes, substitute for lengthy descriptions, describe concepts visually, set moods, and sometimes improve usability. Think of things that readers will want to do with your information. Can they do it online? From filling in forms or sending an e-mail query to selecting, buying, and evaluating products — all can be done online, saving time, phone calls, and steps. Ask questions of your own material. Can they be answered online? Is everything adequately explained by the text, or would a diagram be easier and quicker to understand? The degree of interactivity you choose varies according to your budget, goals, and information. Wise decisions at this stage will save you a great deal of money in the long run, and you won't be taken in by "cool tools" in the Web industry that are not all that useful. Writing in a style more appropriate for reading online, editing your print material to go up on your site, and developing a strong audience focus are imperative to the development of good, relevant Web content. The process can take as little or as much time as you can afford, and frankly, any effort is worth it. But a careful analysis of your content, followed by a discussion of what's working and what isn't and fixing it, are not optional steps in the process of creating Web sites that truly communicate with readers, convince them that your organization is there for them, and enable them to move easily through your online material. In the end, it all comes down to communicating, and the Web can be your biggest asset or a liability, depending on how you write, edit, and develop your site's content. The payoffs are true relationships with your readers and fewer headaches for your staff. Tight Writing for the Web Eliminate extraneous words and phrases that don't add much and that reduce retention and readability on a screen. The following three rules can help: 1. Trim synonymous words (basic and fundamental, true and accurate, each and every). 2. Edit redundant modifiers (each individual, past history, future plans). Kill l-e-n-g-t-h-y phrases. ("Those engaged in the profession of teaching" = "teachers." "Information from written sources" = "written information." "Retains in memory" = "remembers.") http://www.centeronline.org/knowledge/article.cfm?ID=2529&ContentProfileID=137787&Action=searching Blogged on ~~~ Using Visual Aids Sunday, November 06, 2005   
One of the most powerful things that you can do to your presentation is to add in visual aids. Research shows that if you use visual aids you are twice as likely to achieve your objectives. Ditch the bullet points - use pictures instead. Professor Albert Mehrabian did a lot of research into how we take in information during a presentation. He concluded that 55% of the information we take in is visual and only 7% is text. There are some important conclusions that we can take in from this information 1. Use visuals (pictures, graphs, tables, props) whenever you can 2. In a speech you are only using 38% of the communication medium 3. Ditch the bullet points Visual Aids also making the presentation memorable In a Study at the Wharton Research Centre they showed that using visual sides had a dramatic effect on message retention. The effect of using visuals is truly staggering! The old adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words" is as true today as it has always been. Achieving your objectives If I said that I could double your chances of achieving your objectives in a presentation with just one piece of advice you would probably be very skeptical. And yet if you use visual images that is just what happens. This study by Decker Communications showed that by using visuals in your presentation you could expect roughly to double the chance of achieving your objectives. And if you are trying to make a sales presentation or a job interview presentation, this piece of advice could have a major impact on your bank balance. The conclusion: Use visual aids Blogged on ~~~
Marketing Challenge: Ducking Presentations That Bore by Meryl K. Evans and Hank Stroll You're sitting on a hard chair, constantly shifting position, trying to get more comfortable. The speaker doesn't keep your mind off your discomfort, since he is reading precisely exactly what's on the slides. Unfortunately, you have to squint to read it, because he squeezed two pages of content in 10-point type on each slide. Sound familiar? To prevent this scenario, a recommended guideline is the 10/20/30 rule: 10 slides in 20 minutes with 30-point type. PowerPoint has gotten a bad rap. It's not the program's fault that presentations fail to hold an audience's attention. It's the presenter who is at fault. Can't seem to rivet your audience? Check out the great tips below and you should be a presentation star in no time. Snore... Snore... Ducking Presentations That Bore Presentations have gotten out of control, as people use cookie-cutter templates with 10-point font and over 20 words a page. We believe presentations should sing, zing and ring audiences. We're working on marketing a new invention, so that means lots of presentations and explanations. What are the elements in a successful presentation that have worked for you or that you've seen in a presentation? —Janet, Marketing Manager Here are three tips from readers on how to make presentations sing: 1. Try the George Carlin approach—humor. 2. Think beyond PowerPoint. 3. Show what's in it for them. Try the George Carlin approach—humor Jerry Bader, partner at MRPwebmedia, agrees that presentations should sing, zing and ring audiences: In practical terms, that means your presentations have to speak to your audience in a human voice. Create a conversation, not a dry, dead-from-the-neck-up sales pitch full of features, specifications and "aren't we great?" stuff, but a signature voice that communicates how your new innovation will help solve your viewers' problems. Presentations are entertainment, and if you want to attract attention, generate interest, stimulate desire and action, then you should think George Carlin, not Harvard Business Review. Another creative suggestion, from Dr. Debby, takes a different approach to dueling banjos: Try PowerPoint vs. Post-It Notes! They need not be mutually exclusive. By being creative in PowerPoint, you can make it look like you have Post-It Notes superimposed on your PowerPoint slides—and through the use of animation tools make them look like they tear off once finished with them! Think beyond PowerPoint Your mode of communication depends on the type of information you're delivering and on the audience, advises Jessi LaCosta, communications coach with BlueRio Coaching: Not everyone can get away with this, but if at all possible nix the PowerPoint. Try opting for interesting props and interactive material instead. You can start with a creative icebreaker. In fact, I had a group play a game of "operator," which I started; and I placed some very odd details into the storyline about why I was there and what they would learn. When it came time for the final person to present the story, we were all laughing. Furthermore, I gained valuable insight into the audience's state of mind. Then, I adjusted my delivery accordingly. (Obviously, something like this may work better in a casual atmosphere.) You could also create a presentation like a magic show—invite members of the audience on stage to be your "personal assistant" and reveal your solutions to them in a dramatic and fun way. Use a personal connection where possible, engage your audience with anecdotes that are memorable and that most of your audience can relate to—of course, there is a fine line in overdoing this. At least for me, the ability to "humanize" the presentations by infusing humor has proved successful. Sunil Shibad, creative director with The Flea Communication, recommends doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing: If all your competitors are putting together fancy PowerPoint presentations, you should use Post-It Notes. If they quote some marketing guru, you should avoid quotes. Play a song. If they fire booming cannons, bring in a mime. The trick is to bring in some humanity, some soul, some heart. Be like a jazz musician and improvise. Lisa Dreher, vice-president of marketing and business development at Logicalis, goes back to knowing the audience: I have been in the position of having to give many presentations to sales representatives over the years. They are one of the more challenging groups to keep engaged. They typically pay attention about five minutes then they're off checking their Blackberry or stepping out of the room to answer a call. One of the best sales presentation methods I have used is making the presentation a game. I have done Jeopardy and Millionaire shows as presentations to sales people. I usually start creating my questions based on the key messages I want to be sure to communicate. Then I tailor the questions to provide an opportunity to expand upon a topic. The answers to the questions provide a starting place for commentary. Audience participation keeps the audience engaged and enhances learning. This method is only effective with certain audiences, but if you have the right audience, you will get raves on this method. It makes learning fun and keeps a tough-to-please audience in the room. Too daring? You can always try a softer approach of these suggestions. Start small and see how it works out. Also, we have just finished reading a book that provides inspired suggestions for punching up presentations from the folks behind Bullfighter. Show what's in it for them Good ol' reliable benefits still make a difference. If you're selling a pencil, people will be more interested in knowing that it leads to less cramps than the fact it's made of such-n-such material. Allan G. Lie, creative director, explains the benefits approach: First of all, remember that the audience doesn't care about you. Not even a little bit. Your presentation has to immediately tell what the benefit will be to them or their organization. Describe the results first, and then tell them how you'll get them there. If you're just hoping the product will be a benefit for them once you explain its features, you haven't done your homework. And skip all the technical language unless your audience completely understands it. You don't need to impress them with your credentials... you need to communicate with them—and that means talking the way they talk, about the things they talk about. A technique that could work well with a new invention is to open by listing all the things your potential client would like to have, but can't get. Then make a statement like "Imagine one product that could take care of it all!" Follow up by going through the list one item at a time and demonstrate that your product will deliver. Don't worry about the zing, sing and ring. If you're passionate about your product, your audience won't be able to keep themselves from getting excited as well. If you're not confident and excited about what you're presenting, find someone who is. It doesn't matter if you have video clips, a custom-written song, a dancing bear or fireworks going off in the boardroom—gimmicks are entertaining, but they don't sell. A reader recommends using fewer words and provides excellent insight: Products or services in action are the best proposition. Your presentations should show moving video and audio to supplement the dry stuff. Impact is king. If you are presenting a new idea and a new invention...the first two questions a prospect will ask you is (1) How much will this cost me? and (2) What will I have to do to benefit? They are more interested in how it will impact them rather than the product benefits. Within the team of prospects that you present to...your proponents will be lukewarm, but your detractors will be the ones that tend to lose the most with the implementation of your new invention. In other words, who you present to is more critical than what. To circumvent that—show in your presentation how your invention will make life better for everyone. Show them a sample and how to use it. Show a mock or a display model if possible. Also, I find that if you have two speakers, it breaks up the monotony. As always, do a dry run for everything to make sure it works before D-day. Dr. Debby reminds us to consider the basics: In addition to making your text legible, make your graphics easy to see. Use few images per slide (KISS: Keep it Simple, Sweetie!), make them large—especially charts and graphs with numbers, and make them contrast highly with the background. By the way, even if you use materials from hard copy that incorporate small text, you can always find a way to increase their size in PowerPoint. It's not easy creating a presentation these days. We have so many media choices to use in presentations that it can be overwhelming. Also, our audience has shorter attention spans with gadgets like cell phones and Blackberries distracting them. Readers' creative suggestions should help you hit a homerun on your next presentation. Blogged on ~~~
Improve your bar charts
Blogged on ~~~ Going backward in a PowerPoint presentation Thursday, October 27, 2005 Going backward in a PowerPoint presentation
Blogged on ~~~ Animation ordering Sunday, October 23, 2005 Animation orderingNeed to change the order of a slide's animations on an existing Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow? This is easy to do. Open your slideshow in PowerPoint, and from the main menu, select SLIDE SHOW >> CUSTOM ANIMATION to open the Custom Animation task pane. All your animations will be listed. Simply click and drag any animation up or down the list to a new location to change the order. There. Easy as pie. Blogged on ~~~ Presentation Myths Saturday, October 22, 2005 Presentation Myths Don't use PowerPoint as it will distract your audience. According to research by psychologists, 55% of your presentation is visual. Statistics also show that we remember more of what we're shown that what we're told. So our advice is use slides, but don't rely on them or read them word for word. Avoid too many bullet points as they are a very poor way of conveying your message. Clip art makes you presentation look groovy. Wrong! Clip art makes your presentation look old fashioned, which will make you look behind the times. If you need to use images to improve your presentation, look for ones that are unusal, appropriate or brand new Blogged on ~~~
Split one PowerPoint slide into two
(Tip provided by Presentations columnist Ellen Finkelstein) Blogged on ~~~ Create instant PowerPoint backgrounds Thursday, September 29, 2005 Create instant PowerPoint backgroundsNeed to make a background fast for a Microsoft PowerPoint slide? Existing digital images on your computer can be used to make gorgeous backgrounds by using PowerPoint's Washout effect. To start, simply insert an image of your choice onto a blank slide or the slide master (INSERT >> PICTURE >> FROM FILE). Make the image fit on the slide by selecting it and dragging its corners in or out to shrink or expand it until it fits precisely. You can also crop an image to fit by using the Crop button on the Picture toolbar. To open the Picture toolbar, go to VIEW >> TOOLBARS and then select PICTURE. The final step is to wash out the photo to give it a subtle, low-contrast appearance. To do this, select the photo again and click the Color button on the Picture toolbar (the second button from the left side). When the drop-down list appears, choose Washout from the options; the image will automatically fade out and become a pretty, subtle background over which you can add text, charts and other graphics to complete your presentation. Blogged on ~~~ PRESENTASI BUKAN KARTU MATI Sunday, September 25, 2005 Presentasi Bukan Kartu Mati source: Cosmopolitan Mendengar kata presentasi, banyak di antara kita yang mendadak jadi keringat dingin.Bukan takut proses pembuatannya, tapi justru saat mempresentasikannya. Jadi apa yang harus anda siapkan agar presentasi berjalan lancar dan bebas dari rasa panik yang berlebihan? Menurut Tina Santy Flaherty, penulis Talk Your Way to the Top, ada kunci –kunci yang perlu dimiliki setiap presenter. Bila ini dikuasai,
Blogged on ~~~ The speech trap Thursday, September 22, 2005 The speech trapCareful: What you say in a company presentation can be held against you in a court of law. By Dave Zielinski Opening your mouth on behalf of your company is becoming an increasingly risky business. That's because various court decisions over the past few years have made it easier than ever for companies and their spokespeople to be held legally liable for information shared with co-workers, customers, investors or other audiences, in speech or in writing. You probably don't know it yet, but the courts have already put new restrictions on companies' First Amendment rights of free speech, and new securities laws have made it harder for corporate presenters to satisfy audiences' growing appetite for financial information without running afoul of the law. These new laws, which are intended to foster more truthful corporate communication, in some instances are having precisely the opposite effect by subjecting all forms of corporate information-sharing, including presentations, to closer legal scrutiny. Also problematic is the fact that groups burnt by recent corporate scandals are demanding more transparency and honesty in business communication, but delivering that level of detail is now fraught with more legal pitfalls and complexities than ever. What's a poor, free-speech-loving presenter to do? The First Amendment and corporate speech Most presenters don't give much thought to their free-speech protections when pitching a product, discussing company strategy or doling out advice at industry conferences – but they should. The most ominous legal precedent that has the potential to cloud a presenter's day is a 2003 court case called Nike v. Kasky. A consortium of labor unions charged that Nike, the Beaverton, Ore.-based athletic apparel and equipment manufacturer, was engaged in unfair labor practices in its overseas factories. In response, Nike conducted what it said was an independent study of those practices and released the results (which in essence reported the company was doing a good job but could do better) in a series of press releases, op-ed letters and presentations to the news media and university presidents. Mark Kasky, a consumer activist in California, filed a lawsuit against Nike alleging its information campaign amounted to "false and deceptive" advertising under a state statute. The California Supreme Court ruled in favor of Kasky, arguing that since Nike's public statements about its operations might persuade consumers to buy its products, that communication should be treated as commercial advertising, and thus was not privy to the same First Amendment protections as most ordinary speech. Because Nike's factual statements were directed by a "commercial speaker" to a commercial audience (many of the company's clients and prospects are university administrators and athletic directors), its presentations became subject to state laws barring false and misleading commercial messages. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case, and Nike eventually settled, paying $1.5 million to the Fair Labor Association to fund worker-development programs, so the core legal questions raised by the case were never resolved. Fallout for presenters It's been two years since the Nike decision (or lack thereof), and little if any clarity has been brought to the debate. Consequently, the decision and its aftermath continue to have significant and ongoing implications for corporate presenters. While executives, salespeople, spokespeople, investor-relations managers and others have long been bound by state laws (as well as ethical codes) to be truthful and accurate in their communication, the Nike ruling magnifies the legal hazards for speaking freely about products, services or company performance, particularly as that speech relates to public policy issues such as employment practices, consumer privacy rights, taxes and other matters. That ruling, along with a number of high-profile cases of corporate malfeasance (Enron, Worldcom, Tyco, Adelphia, etc.) have significantly altered the legal context in which corporate speech takes place. By making it possible to interpret any kind of corporate communication – be it a presentation, press release, phone call or webconference – as a form of advertising, the courts may have inadvertently sewn the seeds of confusion and paranoia with regard to what is and isn't legally protected corporate speech. Because more of what they say to external audiences could be interpreted by the courts as run-of-the-mill commercial advertising – akin to a print or TV ad, with less First Amendment protection – today's business presenters need to vet their content even more carefully, says Connie Bagley, an associate professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School in Boston. "What the California court did well is distinguish between parts of the Nike statements where Nike was talking about public policy issues and the company's statements of fact about its own labor practices," Bagley says. "The upshot is whenever corporate speakers are making statements of fact about their business, they need to be doubly sure they have a strong basis for what they are saying and be comfortable it is true." Even when expressing an opinion – claiming your product is the best, fastest or most reliable on the market – U.S. securities laws state you still need a "reasonable basis" for making that claim, Bagley says. Sins of omission But are these real threats to everyday presenters, or are the dangers limited to certain commercial speaking scenarios in California? Though the law hasn't been tested yet in other states, some experts believe the hazards have grown for those who make sales-and-marketing-related presentations in particular. The case of Merck & Co.'s controversial drug Vioxx serves as a cautionary tale, says George Brenkert, a professor and director of the Georgetown Business Ethics Institute in Washington, D.C. Merck has been criticized for allegedly knowing about the dangerous side effects of Vioxx, which include heart attack and stroke, yet not allowing its salespeople to refer to these risks in presentations to customers. "There's a proverb that says a half-truth is a whole lie," Brenkert says. "These days, it's incumbent upon people who are doing sales presentations to make sure they have the whole story. If there are things other people in their business know, but the sales staff isn't permitted to communicate to customers, that means trouble for both [the presenter] and their company." Securities laws make it clear that statements can be deemed misleading not just for what presenters say, but what they fail to say, Harvard's Bagley adds. "If you omit facts that cause what you say to create a misleading impression of a situation, that can be actionable securities fraud," she says. "Especially if that information is deemed material, and what has been left out is likely to influence an investor's decision to buy, sell or hold a stock." It's a fact presenters would be wise to remember when tailoring information for different audiences around the world. An executive might say one thing to an audience in the United States and another to a group in China, with the belief that what's relevant for one audience isn't always relevant for another. But those presenters need to make sure no "material" information is left out as they customize that content. "If potential investors in Shanghai were not told what those in San Francisco had just heard, and it was to make them rethink what they know about a strategy, product or service, then that presenter and his company would have a problem," says Brenkert. "It amazes me that some organizations continue to believe that if they engage in deception in one part of the world it won't become known in another part. In this age of instantaneous communication, people are always going to find out." Bagley says the Merck case and others make it essential for salespeople to know who within their organization can verify the truth of sales pitches they're making to customers. A presenter's assertion that they'd only "been telling the truth as they knew it" won't be defensible in a U.S. court of law should it turn out others in the organization kept them in the dark. "The sales rep may not get arrested for fraud, but the company will very much be on the hook," Bagley says. One particularly vulnerable area is product-safety data. Such information should be housed in a centralized, secure place such as a company intranet so salespeople can easily access it and have confidence it's accurate and current, she says. They made me do it It's not only companies that can take the fall if their messages are deemed deceitful or "partial truths" by attorneys general, SEC regulators or others. Individual employees who make such statements can be sued under Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices (UDAP) laws, says Stephen Gardner, director of litigation for the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington D.C.. UDAP laws, which most states have to protect against fraudulent business practices, don't have to prove intent to deceive, Gardner says, only the existence of a false, misleading or deceptive statement. "The presenter making the statement can't just point to the company and say, 'they made me do it,' he says. "When you speak publicly for the company, you are responsible for what comes out of your mouth, whether you are the CEO, a middle manager or the janitor." Those who help craft an organization's messages, be they speechwriters, corporate communication or public relations staff, need to be versed in the legal and regulatory ground rules – and land mines – of this new territory as well. "Because of corporate leaders who've recently blamed those under and around them for their company's downfall, those who prepare statements for executives better be worried," says Gardner. "Their job isn't to just serve as a typewriter, it's to assemble facts and help create a point of view. If they don't bother to find out that what they are writing is true, or if they know darn well it isn't, they can be held liable." A chilling effect? Though no individual has been prosecuted in the two years since Nike vs. Kasky, some believe the Nike decision is nevertheless having a chilling affect on organizations' willingness to communicate as freely with external audiences as they did before. Companies may now be more reluctant to say anything or issue press releases for fear of a lawsuit, the argument goes, and shutting off that information spigot has the potential to hurt such stakeholders as investors, customers and even the news media, who need the information to make decisions or do their jobs. Coupled with increased pressure for more disclosure on company finances and operating strategies in the wake of corporate scandals, some feel the current legal climate is inadvertently choking off much healthy and necessary communication between companies and the public. Richard Samp, chief counsel of the Washington Legal Foundation, a public-interest law and policy center in Washington, D.C, believes the longer the Nike decision is allowed to stand, the more organizations are apt to shy away from saying anything substantive in public. This mood, he says, will only create more "feel-good advertising that contributes little to the public debate." Indeed, there is already evidence that the ruling has made some companies more reluctant to release corporate social responsibility reports (CSRs), which outline their efforts in areas such as labor compliance, community affairs, sustainable development and workplace programs. Nike itself didn't release a CSR report following the court decision, saying it wanted to avoid the potential of further liability. The company has also declined media interviews and numerous invitations to speak at business forums because of the decision. Brenkert has experienced fallout from the ruling firsthand. As he was preparing to publish a book on corporate accountability and integrity, the Georgetown professor says, one company withdrew its case study following the Nike decision. "The information they had provided wasn't terribly risky, but their lawyers got nervous about it," Brenkert says. Securities law minefields Understanding where free-speech protections end and commercial-speech restrictions begin isn't the only new challenge for today's presenters. For the past few years, companies also have been grappling with new securities laws that regulate how they can communicate financial information to audiences. The Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD) is a rule enacted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in October 2000 to level the investment playing field by eliminating the problem of selective disclosure, or when groups such as Wall Street analysts or large institutional investors receive access to key investment information before others do. Now, when the leaders of public companies communicate "material, non-public" information to groups such as portfolio managers, they must also simultaneously disclose the information to the public at large. Regulation FD presents a dual challenge to presenters who are top executives, investor-relations reps or corporate spokespeople. First, they must know with crystalline clarity what information they can safely disclose to whom. And separating what is material from what is nonmaterial in information isn't always easy without a solid, bright-line test from the SEC. The goal is to avoid slip-ups during unscripted presentations or conference calls with analysts, reporters and others. For example, an executive might mention a big new sales contract to mutual fund managers that he hasn't yet announced publicly, or touch briefly on his company's improving financial performance during a speech at an invitation-only business forum. Both are violations, since that information first needs to be publicly announced in a press release or other SEC-sanctioned communication method. The threat is real Presenters need to be equally cautious in their disclosures to internal audiences. For example, a CEO or CFO of a public company can't even hint during an all-company meeting about the company's current financial status without first putting it in a press release and distributing it via the proper channels. Second, companies need well-coordinated strategies – and adequate presenter training – for simultaneously communicating material information to different channels and audiences. Many companies now rely on Webcasting for analyst meetings or investor conferences, partly because beaming these presentations out to anyone with Internet access satisfies the SEC requirement for avoiding exclusivity in conveying financial information. The threat of being nabbed for a Regulation FD violation is real. In the past three years, the SEC has taken enforcement actions against a number of companies for violations. In one prominent case, the SEC accused the chief financial officer of San Mateo, Calif.-based Siebel Systems of inappropriately disclosing material information during two private events he attended, including an invitation-only dinner. Siebel is the first company accused of violating Regulation FD for a second time, according to The Wall Street Journal, and the first to fight the charges. In any case, many presenters are finding themselves torn between the pressure for greater specificity and truthfulness in corporate communication and the knowledge that advocacy watchdogs – or SEC regulators – may be looking over their shoulder, waiting for slips-ups or regulatory breaches to pounce on. Only by understanding the motives and agendas of these disparate audiences can presenters successfully walk this new and potentially perilous high-wire of corporate speech. Those who ignore the dangers altogether do so at their own peril, and may one day find themselves in for a sudden, painful fall. Dave Zielinski is a frequent contributor to Presentations magazine. Blogged on ~~~ How To Discover Whether You Are Really Glossophobic? Wednesday, September 21, 2005 How To Discover Whether You Are Really Glossophobic?When Americans were surveyed about their greatest fears, there was ne that surpassed death, spiders, snakes and losing a job. The dreaded fear was speaking in public or 'glossophobia'. Seventy-five per cent of respondents had glossophobia. Conventional treatment for phobias has people gradually facing their fear by either imagining it or confronting it. But this may not seem like an appealing solution to you right now. So are you glossophobic? That depends on how you feel about making a speech or presentation. In reality despite the survey, almost nobody is a true glossophobic. How do I know this? Try this simple test now to discover whether you are really glossophobic... Which would you really rather do? A . Make a Speech or Presentation Or B. Spend an hour with a Black Widow Spider? It may be that neither is a very attractive proposition, but in reality unless you can genuinely choose B. Spending an hour with a Black Winow Spider....you are not really a glossophobic - well at least not an incurable one :) Blogged on ~~~ Debunking The Presentation Myths Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Debunking The Presentation MythsPublic Speaking and Presentational skills are areas that seem to attract more myth than reality. Our first set of secrets debunk some of the myths I hear most often. MYTH #1 “Won't everyone just laugh at me?” REALITY Sure they will. If you turn up late, trip up over the leads and spill your coffee over the projector then you probably will hear a laugh or two in the room. However, at some point, we all have to do a presentation in front of our colleagues, superiors, potential business partners or delegates at a conference and if you know your topic then the audience will respect you for it regardless of how nervous you may be feeling. MYTH #2 “Anyone can stand up and speak, but don't I really need to be some kind of marketing guru to create a truly effective presentation?” REALITY Let's start with the basics… You've probably been approached or landed with the task of making the presentation in the first place, because you have some kind of specialist knowledge or the inside track on the subject you'll be speaking about. Never forget that it is the knowledge that you will impart that people primarily want to discover! That said, it is perfectly possible to be the most outstandingly knowledgeable person delivering a speech to an appropriate audience (those who want to hear your particular message) but still bore them to tears. So delivery is critical too, but your own knowledge or at least your researched knowledge on the subject should mean that you certainly don't need to be some kind of marketing guru to present your presentation effectively. In fact this manual and toolkit mostly assumes that you probably already know a thing or two about your subject and will ensure that you don't need to be a personal marketing guru to put the message across to your audience and receive rave reviews in return. MYTH #3 “I will need to have had prior public speaking experience, to ever make a convincing presentation.” REALITY This is certainly not true. Everybody has to start somewhere, since none of us are born with public speaking experience! In fact, even the most polished public speakers have rarely had much training in the subject. This is one field where there are very few formally qualified people. So when it comes to making a presentation, having had prior public speaking experience may be an advantage, but it isn't a prerequisite. MYTH #4 “Can't I get my message across just as well if I send out a memo or email on the subject I was going to speak about?” REALITY No. That's not to say that there are not times when a memo, email, letter, phone call or even a printed out and distributed copy of your presentation, wouldn't be appropriate. But unless you command 100% of your target audiences attention, you will always be battling against numerous other distractions in the lives of those you are trying to address. So you could print off your presentation and if you're lucky, half of your colleagues or targeted audience will keep a copy filed away in the back of their drawer whilst the other half will put it instantly into the trash. Emails and memo's are effective when they are kept short and brief. But they are generally impersonal and usually ineffective for longer or more complex messages. Can you really sell what you want to get across when it is only written down or presented over the telephone on a conference call? Probably not. Let's say that you're tendering for new business, what would be more effective? 1. Send the client some printed information on your company + product and services, or 2. Going in to personally see the prospective client and present to them? There's simply no competition when it comes to communication effectiveness, creating and making a presentation will win every time. Blogged on ~~~
Clarify, Then Re-Clarify Your Presentation Objective! This exercise re-enforces precisely what your presentation will be about. It seems an obvious point, yet too often the person making a presentation doesn't always seem to have clarified exactly what it is they are trying to say. Blogged on ~~~ Take The Time To Understand Who Your Audience Will Be The key point is that the skills you will require are largely the same whether you are presenting in a small meeting room or in a large auditorium. Although your actual speaking approach and tone will vary. A common mistake is to fail to understand who you are really presenting to. The list is almost exhaustive, but the chances are you are preparing to do one of the following: >> Present to a trade conference or large gathering >> Present to a meeting interested in a specific subject >> Present to a club, society or interest group of some kind >> Present to your own team, group of co-workers, superiors or another part of your organization. >> Present in order to tender for or regain some business >> Present to share your knowledge by training others So remember to get yourself pre-briefed and up to speed on the kind of audience you can expect. The same presentation approach to a bunch of Boy Scouts or Wall Street Financiers will fail in one environment or the other. Blogged on ~~~
How A Great Name For Your Presentation Can Pull The Crowds! Blogged on ~~~ Researching Your Speaking Venue Can Be As Important As Creating Your Presentation! A frequently overlooked yet important aspect of presentation and speech making is to take full account of the venue. Presentations can take place in many different venues. For example which of the following types of place will you be next presenting at: Living room in someone's home, Small office, Meeting room, Classroom, Board room, Town hall, Parking lot, Conference hall, Auditorium, Theater, and Stadium. Each of the venues in the list above will conjure up an image in your mind. When you hear that you will be giving a presentation in a Board Room or Conference Hall, you can imagine the environment and layout. But stop here... Just imaging the speaking environment has led many a good speaker into fooling themselves to believe that they know the rough layout of the space they will be presenting in, only then to arrive and be thrown off their balance by finding that no two meeting rooms are ever set out the same! Do some secondary research To avoid unwanted surprises, try to visit the venue before the presentation day itself or ideally at least before your speech. Clearly it will sometimes be impossible to have personally checked the speaking venue; perhaps you are flying in specially to make the presentation having never been to that part of the world before! But in these instances seek some assistance from the organizers or anyone who has actually been there. Blogged on ~~~ Create a slide list Friday, September 16, 2005 Create a slide listA printed list of slides is a helpful tool to use as you present with Microsoft PowerPoint. You can use the list to move quickly to a specific slide: In Slide Show view, just type the number of the slide and press Enter. Or, just use the list to keep track of where you are. To create a slide list, follow these steps:
Blogged on ~~~ Five ways to use intranet podcasts Thursday, September 08, 2005 Five ways to use intranet podcastsPodcasts may be the latest technology to create a buzz in the corporate comms world but they're simply a modern, hi-tech adaptation of a rather old notion - distributing audiocassettes to sales staff. The main difference, observes Shel Holtz, technology expert and author of Top 10 New technologies for Internal Communicators, is that audiocassettes are encumbered by cost and a time lag. But Podcasting resolves both these issues: "Sales staff can get new audio content as soon as it has been recorded and uploaded, listening today to material recorded yesterday and, consequently, delivering the latest information to clients and customers." So what kind of podcasts might a company produce for intranet consumption? According to Holtz, communicators haven't even begun scratching the surface of internal podcasting's potential. He suggests the following:
Source: Top 10 New Technologies for Internal Communicators is a new report by Shel Holtz published by Melcrum Publishing. Blogged on ~~~ No-linear PPT Most Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow presentations are linear in format, providing few options for viewers who want to skip around. But it is possible to create a presentation that functions like a Web site. This technique, especially useful with small audiences, is based on a "home page" slide with your company logo, a brief explanation of your slideshow theme or message, and a menu with several topic areas. Each menu item is hyperlinked to the first of a group of slides that elaborate on that topic. To create these menu hyperlinks, select the text in the menu and choose INSERT>> HYPERLINK. Create links on each of the slides that return to the home page (the first slide) just as you would on a Web site. In addition, you can create links to other presentations or files to provide supporting information. (Tip provided by Presentations columnist Ellen Finkelstein, www.ellenfinkelstein.com.) Blogged on ~~~ Powerpoint Speed Tips Wednesday, September 07, 2005 ... you can spell check a PowerPoint slide by pressing F7? .... you can hide a slide in your PowerPoint presentation you don't want to show to all your audiences? Click on the View menu in the toolbar. Then click on Slide Sorter and click on the slide that you want to hide. Click on Slide Show in the toolbar and click on Hide Slide. Blogged on ~~~ Presentasi Tanpa Komputer Sunday, August 28, 2005 Presentasi Tanpa Komputer AVerEPack merupakan sebuah alat yang dapat digunakan untuk presentasi, baik menggunakan monitor komputer biasa, maupun display lain yang menerima input RGB, S-Video dan RCA. Bedanya, AVerEPack menggunakan media Compact Flash sebagai input. Jadi, Anda sama sekali tidak membutuhkan PC untuk melakukan presentasi. Interkoneksi ke PC menggunakan port pararel yang sedikit lambat. Proses instalasi memang cukup mudah. Software yang disediakan juga cukup sederhana dan mudah digunakan. Proses transfer file dapat dilakukan dengan mudah menggunakan software khusus. Sayang, interkoneksi pararel yang digunakan akan membuat transfer data dalam jumlah besar terasa lebih lambat. AVerEPack juga dapat menangani file Power Point, tetapi file Power Point yang ada akan diubah terlebih dahulu oleh software menjadi file JPEG untuk kemudian ditampilkan sebagai slide show. Sebuah remote control yang disediakan memiliki fungsi penting presentasi seperti zoom dan highlight. Berbagai pengaturan penting lainnya juga dapat diakses dengan mudah menggunakan remote control tersebut. Jimmy.Auw@CHIP.co.id Kesimpulan: + Menggunakan media CF Blogged on ~~~
Proyektor Digital
KEMUDAHAN yang disediakan oleh teknologi komunikasi informasi memang sering kali memudahkan pekerjaan yang sedang berlangsung. Menggunakan sebuah komputer notebook untuk bekerja tampaknya menjadi sebuah peralatan penting yang akan selalu mengikuti kita ke mana saja. Di sisi lain, komputer notebook menjadi tidak nyaman kalau harus digunakan untuk presentasi sebuah proyek atau memperkenalkan sebuah gagasan. Pilihan yang tersedia adalah menggunakan sebuah proyektor digital yang menghubungkan komputer notebook ke sebuah tampilan layar lebar. Masalahnya, pilihan untuk membawa dua perangkat teknologi ini secara bersamaan menjadi tidak nyaman karena menjadi beban tersendiri, bukan hanya karena beratnya, tetapi juga keharusan untuk membawa perangkat tambahan lainnya. Sambungan listrik jelas menjadi sebuah perangkat utama seandainya tidak tersedia pilihan untuk menancapkan listrik secara bersamaan. InFocus Corporation belum lama ini memperkenalkan sebuah proyektor digital baru LP600, sebagai solusi persoalan membawa komputer notebook dan sebuah proyektor secara bersamaan. Perusahaan yang menghasilkan berbagai proyektor unggulan ini memang memberikan konsentrasi khusus pada pasaran proyektor data seperti LP600 ini. Ada dua jenis pasaran proyektor data yang tersedia di pasaran, tetap (fixed) dan portabel. Proyektor tetap biasanya sudah terpasang di atas ruangan sebuah ruang pertemuan, sedangkan yang portabel umumnya digunakan bagi para pekerja yang bergerak dari satu tempat ke tempat lain memberikan presentasi kepada para pelanggan mereka. Teknologi LitePort Proyektor InFocus LP600 masuk dalam kategori proyektor portabel, dengan ukurannya yang kecil termasuk komponen lampu yang digunakan pada perangkat ini. Memang, dibandingkan dengan proyektor lain, LP600 dengan berat 2,4 kg ini bukan yang terkecil dan teringan yang tersedia di pasaran. Namun, perangkat LP600 ini memiliki sebuah kombinasi protabilitas dan fitur yang tidak dimiliki proyektor lain. Salah satu keunikan yang dimiliki oleh proyektor LP600 dengan berbagai pilihan sambungan yang tersedia adalah sebuah rongga USB (Universal Serial Bus) yang diberi nama LitePort. Kehadiran teknologi LitePort yang dikembangkan InFocus ini sebenarnya yang menjadi jawaban kenapa para pekerja yang bergerak dari satu tempat ke tempat lainnya tidak lagi memerlukan untuk membawa komputer notebooknya. Teknologi LitePort memungkinkan presentasi yang disampaikan disimpan dalam sebuah memori USB dan langsung bisa diperlihatkan melalui proyektor LP600 ini. Artinya, kita cukup membuat presentasi yang ingin disampaikan menggunakan aplikasi apa saja, seperti PowerPoint, Word, maupun Excel yang kemudian disimpan di dalam memori USB tersebut. Perangkat lunak LitePort yang disediakan bersamaan dengan proyektor LP600 ini kemudian mengubah aplikasi yang sudah dibuat menjadi tampilan dalam format JPEG. Dan ketika file JPEG ini dimasukkan ke dalam memori USB dan dimasukkan ke dalam rongga USB pada LP600, hasilnya memungkinkan kita melihat imej-imej tersebut seperti sebuah slide-show. Melalui teknologi LitePort ini, InFocus menerapkan apa yang sering kita dengar sebagai plug and play menjadi sebuah kenyataan yang memudahkan siapa saja. Satu saja catatan pada proyektor LP600 ini, suara yang disebabkan oleh berputarnya kipas untuk mendinginkan lampu proyektor menjadi sangat berisik ketika berada dalam ruangan presentasi. Memang ada pilihan untuk menghilangkan suara yang mengganggu pada saat presentasi ini. Pada mode standar, proyektor LP600 ini mampu menghasilkan tingkat terang (brightness) mencapai 2000 ANSI lumen, tetapi suara yang dihasilkan pun luar biasa. Sedangkan pada mode low power, ketajaman gambar pun ikut menurun menjadi hanya 1500 ANSI lumen, dan suara bising kipas pendingin pun ikut mereda. Ringkas Untuk mengendalikan presentasi yang ditampilkan proyektor LP600 ini, terdapat sebuah pengendali jarak jauh menggunakan sinar inframerah yang bisa digunakan untuk menata tampilan proyektor maupun digunakan sebagai pengendali presentasi. Posisi inframerah pada LP600 ini terletak di bagian depan dan belakang sehingga memudahkan penggunanya untuk bergerak ke arah mana saja ketika sedang menjelaskan presentasinya. Dengan harga jual lebih dari 2.000 dollar AS, InFocus LP600 yang menggunakan teknologi DLP buatan Texas Instruments yang terkenal menjadi terlalu mahal daripada proyektor merek lain yang tersedia di pasaran. Namun, dengan kualitas presentasi yang tinggi serta rancangannya yang ringkas dilengkapi dengan aplikasi LitePort, harga ini menjadi istimewa buat para penggunanya. InFocus LP600 dengan fitur yang inovatif dan sangat bermanfaat menjadi pilihan menarik untuk mengurangi beban meninggalkan komputer notebook pada saat harus melakukan presentasi. Kemajuan teknologi memang mengisyaratkan satu hal, ringkas. (rlp) taken from Kompas Blogged on ~~~ Extract sound files from PowerPoint Wednesday, August 10, 2005 Want to extract narration from a PowerPoint file to tweak in a third-party sound-editing program? You can extract audio files from narrated presentations by saving them in the .html format. Open your narrated PowerPoint and Choose File>Save as Web Page. Be sure to choose Web Page (.html) from the "Save as Type" drop-down list (not Single File Web Page). After saving, click Web Options and click Publish. Look through the .htm or .html files that PowerPoint created and you’ll see a .wav file for each slide, numbered consecutively. They'll look something like this: sound001.wav or sound002.wav.(Tip provided by Presentations columnist, Ellen Finkelstein, www.ellenfinkelstein.com) Blogged on ~~~ Fast tool access in Adobe Photoshop Thursday, August 04, 2005 When you're deep into a photo-editing job, scrolling your mouse back and forth across the screen to the toolbox can become mighty tedious. But Adobe has built in a quick way to switch tools using keyboard commands. The Marquee Tool, for example, is activated by pressing the "m" on the keyboard. Other key shortcuts include the "v" for the Move Tool, "t" for the Type Tool, "z" for the Zoom Tool and "i" for the Eyedropper Tool. When you scroll over any tool icon on the toolbox and pause for a second, a small pop-up balloon will appear, giving you the shortcut key for that particular tool. (Note: The preceding is based on Adobe Photoshop 6.0 and 7.0; other versions may differ slightly.)Blogged on ~~~
Top Tips – Three More Things .... Research has shown that the number of items most of us remember more readily during a presentation is just three. If you can put the ‘rule of three’ to good use, you’ll be able to create and deliver much more effective presentations, which really get your message across.
Here are three more tips that will help you structure a really concise, memorable presentation. Tip One: Focus on what your audience needs to know, not what you want to say. Tip Two: Design from summary to detail. If you design from detail to summary, you will get so attached to the details that you won't want to skip them when you should. Instead, start with what the audience needs to know and the content will flow easily. Work out the main points and then add details layer by layer to each of your main points. Tip Three: Tell your audience where to find more information. If you know that your presentation won't fit the time provided, set up a slide or two at the end, showing where more information can be found. Provide the links and source locations on paper or via e-mail as well, so your audience doesn't have to write it all down. Try these three tips the next time you have a lot to say and not enough time and you'll be able to create a powerful, memorable presentation. Blogged on ~~~ The Three Things ... There are three essential elements you can use to make your presentation really fly. Most of these are common sense, but you'd be surprised how often they are missed out. 1. Visual Aids. There are three reasons for using them.
Blogged on ~~~ Using PowerPoint's Presenters Tools Wednesday, July 27, 2005 If you're presenting with Microsoft PowerPoint and you want to see your upcoming slides, a run-time clock and your notes all without revealing these items to the audience put PowerPoint's Presenters Tools to work. The catch is, you need multiple monitor support. To see if your Windows OS computer has this support, go to Start » Control Panel » Display, and when the Display Properties box appears, select the Settings tab. If you see two blue boxes labeled "1" and "2," you're in luck.To use Presenters Tools in the Windows version of PowerPoint, go to the SLIDE SHOW menu and select SET UP SHOW. In the dialog box, find the "Multiple monitors" submenu (lower-right) and under "Display slide show on:" select "Monitor 2 Plug and Play Monitor" from the pull-down menu. Check the "Show Presenter View" box and click OK. The next time you present, your system will automatically show the Presenters Tools view for you, while the image projected to the audience will be the current slide only. Blogged on ~~~ Lighting direction gives shapes a 3-D look Thursday, July 21, 2005 Once you create an AutoShape on a slide in Microsoft PowerPoint, the 3-D Style icon on the Drawing toolbar gives you access to the 3-D Settings menu. This offers you a number of interesting tools that can change the look of the drawn shape. For example, you can change the source-direction and intensity of the light falling on the object. Look for the Lighting icon (in the shape of a spotlight) to access its tools. Other 3-D settings include Tilts, Depths, Direction, Surface and 3-D Color.Blogged on ~~~ Putting Power Point Online Tuesday, July 19, 2005 Craig Wiesner has used a variety of PowerPoint conversion/management products, including Breeze and Brainshark. "My absolute highest priority was getting the PowerPoint files converted into Flash files that were as small as possible (for fast Web delivery) and maintaining PowerPoint animation features and graphics without corruption."According to Weisner, all the "gee-whiz" features of polling and tracking are nice, but if the key reason to use a product is to get information out to an audience in an easy-to-consume format, and to do so with an easy-to-use, no-brainer conversion process at a reasonable cost, no product works better than i-Create, which was originally developed by a company called Wanadu and now is called PointeCast Publisher and is offered by PointeCast in Lindon, Utah. If the reader is looking for a product that "does a really terrific job” of converting PowerPoint to Flash, getting files easily onto the Web, and maintaining the features of PowerPoint slide-show settings, “give this product a shot.” The desktop version sells for under $500, he says. “You convert and then ask your Webmaster to post the files and add a link. You're done." If the reader needs tracking features, he can "go for the expensive portal version and poll and track his little heart out." According to Weisner, the portal version is SCORM-compliant and works with both Learning management systems and learning content management systems. Amy Leschke-Kahle has been using Articulate for the last year and says the program is "very easy-to-use" and produces "very professional" Flash-executable files. "It also comes with some built-in quizzing capabilities. You can purchase additional quizzing capabilities if you want more options, but I have found the ones that come with the package very suitable for my applications. I put the completed programs on an internal server for easy learner access. The program itself is very inexpensive." ARTICULATE KUDOS Meanwhile, Leschke-Kahle's colleague Jon Goodney offers these Articulate kudos: o Easy publishing interface. "We cut our development of SCORM-compliant test questions from a six-week turnaround with an outside supplier down to 30 minutes doing it in-house. Although we added slightly to our payroll, it is possible to use temporary help to do the final publishing. It is simple enough to train people who have very little knowledge of Web applications. We found that a person with a graphic-design background works best." o Final product is efficient on the Web with a 56K connection -- even with high-end audio, graphics and learning interactions. o Simple licensing agreements. o Excellent, timely customer support. "You ask a question; they get back to you immediately." o Reasonably priced desktop license available. "You don't have to buy a complete package of licenses to test the water. At the time of our research, Macromedia Breeze was offering an online conversion, not a desktop version, which conflicted with our firewall -- not to mention several other bugs we identified." Finally, Goodney's colleague Tony Loyd offers these Articulate pointers: o Create a nice master slide for your PowerPoint to add visual nterest and to guide learners. "For example, we have the lesson title and the topic in the header." o Stick with the good old systematic approach to training. Start by listing your tasks, breaking them down to skills and knowledge and writing good objectives. o Don't just digitize your lectures. People only retain about five percent of what they learn through lecture. In order to increase retention, you need to engage the learner. Be sure to use the built-in activities in Articulate and also be sure to package it with Quizmaker. o Understand where Articulate content fits in with your total training package. "We use Articulate to build required prerequisite online learning. Everyone must complete the course and pass the test prior to showing up for the hands-on training. This greatly reduces the amount of time required for training, and it also is more satisfying to our students, who want to get their hands dirty instead of sitting in a dark room looking at PowerPoints." o "We have the course professionally narrated and insert the audio. We also create a .PDF of the presentation as an attachment. If your learners prefer to read for themselves, sit back and listen, or a combination of the two, they have the power to choose." o Think upfront about whether you're going to translate. Keep text on screen to a minimum. "As you know, when text is translated, it can grow in size significantly. We use Transware to translate the PowerPoint. Then, they publish using Articulate. They have native speakers who can insert the files and time the animations." Blogged on ~~~ Encouraging employee innovation The following question was recently posted to the Communicators' Network:
taken from ... Blogged on ~~~ Straighten slanted graphics If you have an image that appears slightly slanted, it can be fixed quickly using Adobe Photoshop's Free Transform tool (also found in Photoshop Elements). To start, use your cursor to stretch out the window around the image area so you can see the canvas on all sides of the image (the cursor will turn to double arrows, indicating it's ready to stretch). Then select the image (CTRL + A) and click EDIT » Free Transform. Move the mouse cursor to a corner of the image until it becomes a curved double arrow. Next, move your image to straighten it. When you're finished, hit ENTER, then deselect the image (CTRL + D). You can now edit and crop the image as needed. Blogged on ~~~ Adjust the space in PowerPoint bullet points Sunday, July 17, 2005 It's easy to adjust the space between a bullet point and its corresponding text on a presentation slide. In Microsoft PowerPoint, begin by displaying the ruler (VIEW » RULER), then select the line of bullet-point text. On the ruler, locate the left-indent marker (the marker on the lower side of the ruler, pointing upward; be careful not to move the square marker below it). Drag the indent marker to the right to increase the space between the bullet symbol and the text; drag it to the left to decrease the space. The marker moves in increments of half the distance of the ruler marks. To further fine-tune the spacing, hold down the CTRL key as you drag the marker.Blogged on ~~~ Six Crucial Rules for Keynote Speakers Friday, July 15, 2005 Stephen DenningIn presenting to a convention, having the right story to tell is only half the battle. Just as critical is to tell the story right. 1. Choose a plain style of storytelling There are many styles of storytelling. However the basic style of storytelling that is most suitable for the modern fast-paced organization is a style that is plain, simple and direct. This will be the foundation that you can customize for particular settings and requirements. It is close to the classic style of writing described in a wonderful book by Thomas, and Turner, Clear and Simple as the Truth: Writing Classic Prose. (1994, Princeton University Press.) Let's take an example. It happens to be Lou Gerstner, talking at a press conference in New York on June 5, 1995 about the events that led up to the IBM's purchase of Lotus. As a story, there's nothing unusual or remarkable about it. It's a typical example of business storytelling: plain, simple and workmanlike. It's not a story that would be considered "brilliant." Nor is there anything that would draw attention to Gerstner as a storyteller. Listen:I think it is useful to step back and look at the evolution of this industry to really understand the strategic rationale of this transaction. The industry began as a very centralized model of computing. It was the world of mainframes, large central processors.And while there will be the need for central processors for many, many years to come, that first phase ended a decade or so ago -- and the second phase began, which is the era of the PC.And so powerful, stand-alone computers were put in the hands of workers around the world, and we had the PC revolution. It provided enormous personal productivity benefits to workers in enterprises, small businesses, and even at home.But it's clear to me and to many others that the industry is now entering a new phase of the information technology industry. And it is a phase in which all of the computing power of an enterprise is linked together -- so that the mainframes or servers and the PCs become linked in a network......but not just a hierarchical network, so that the PCs can talk to the mainframes or servers -- but very importantly, a world in which all of the users can talk horizontally to each other, and to work together in what is known as "collaborative" or "team" computing. That is a very, very powerful need of our customers around the world. [1]While not being in any way remarkable, Gerstner's story illustrates a number of important characteristics of a style of storytelling that is effective for leaders in organizations. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. Tell your story as if you were talking to a single individual ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gerstner's idiom, and the idiom of most effective organizational storytelling, is the voice of conversation. The model is that of one person speaking to another. The style appears to be spontaneous and motivated by the need to tell the listeners about something. It's as if it has just occurred to Gerstner to tell his audience about what has been going on in the computer industry, and so he begins to do so. What he has to say doesn't feel like a set piece. There's no sign that Gerstner has labored over the language beforehand, systematically refining and arranging his thoughts, editing their expression, checking with his lawyers, and then reading the final, cleared text aloud. It's as if something has just occurred to him and so he says it.As it happens, Gerstner is talking to a crowd of journalists, but he might just as well to be talking to each person in the audience, one on one. His voice is the voice of dialogue. Gerstner says one thing, and after another moment, something else occurs to him and so he says that too. It happens to be a useful progression from his former thought. So the listeners follow along. His speech has the rhythm of conversation. It's a series of movements, each one brief and crisp, beginning at the beginning and ending with a suitable conclusion.The appearance of spontaneity is of course an illusion. Gerstner has carefully rehearsed the story and knows exactly where it is heading. In retrospect, the audience may see that these movements of thought are in fact organized into a flawless order, but at the time, the illusion is created that this order is simply the consequence of Gerstner's logical, penetrating, uncluttered mind. His words appear to come out the way they do without any special effort. The order is never referred to. Its existence is not even acknowledged. Everything that is dispensable has been edited out, but the result doesn't sound edited. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. Avoid hedges ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gerstner avoids indicating that he is doing anything other than the presenting the situation as it actually is. Thus he avoids the kind of hedges that writers often adopt, to protect themselves against possible objections or provide insurance that they may have overlooked something that might change the audience's view as to the import of the story.Gerstner has banished from his vocabulary phrases like, "As we shall see…" and "Before I move on to my next point…" and "As far as I know…." He doesn't bother with disclaimers that he doesn't have time to tell the whole story, or that he has skipped over important events.In telling his story, Gerstner presents the situation as being obvious to anyone who will take a hard look. "It is clear to me and to many others…." He refrains from indicating alternative points of view. He doesn't, for instance, say, "My predecessor in IBM took an entirely different view of the situation and was on the verge of breaking up thecompany…"In his more philosophic moments, Gerstner might perhaps recognize that all human beings are liable to leap to conclusions with insufficient rational backing, are unable to be both honest and consistent, have no good grip on the future and that his account of the history of the computer industry is at best a very partial one.Perhaps Gerstner never has such philosophic moments. But even if he does, he doesn't encumber his listeners with them during the telling of his story. This makes sense, since nothing is more irritating than to listen to a speech is clotted with hedges of ignorance or frailty or the possibility of error. So Gerstner simply presents his story: "This is the way things have happened in our industry." From his bearing and demeanor, listeners tend to conclude that it is indeed so. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. Keep your storytelling focused, simple and clear ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The virtues of Gerstner's story, like most good organizational storytelling, are clarity and simplicity. These are also its vices. Gerstner doesn't acknowledge ambiguities, qualifications or doubts. Gerstner has made hard choices silently and out of the listener's sight. He presents the story on the basis that this is what happened. Once made, the choices are presented as if they are inevitable.Gerstner's language doesn't draw attention to itself, but rather serves as a window that reveals the content of the story he is telling. If the audience were to notice Gerstner the person, through a dazzling use of language, or some unusual mannerisms, or some striking gestures, rather than the content of the story, then he would have been less effective. How he tells the story is understated. At the end of his presentation, no one says, "My heavens, that Lou Gerstner is a wonderful storyteller!" Instead, the focus is on what he says. The audience is more likely to exclaim, "How fascinating!"Gerstner presents his story in a way that is seemingly transparent, as if the listeners are looking at his subject through a perfectly clean and non-distorting window. The window doesn't draw attention to itself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. Present the story as something valuable in itself ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gerstner doesn't spend time justifying the telling of this particular story. He gives no indication that the listener will have any question about the value of his story. He doesn't raise any question about whether the listeners are interested in what he has to say. As storyteller, he presents his story as something that is inherently valuable. The value comes from the story itself and from its role as part of a larger whole. He has selected elements that are common knowledge and put them together in a way that gives them broader significance. In so doing, he gives the events a meaning that the audience might not otherwise have grasped.Gerstner presumes upon the listeners' attention as his right. To justify his presumption, he offers something important, complete, self-contained and intelligible. He presents his story as being valuable independently of any special knowledge he might have or his hierarchical position. What he says is something that is clear to him "and to many others." The implication is that anyone who takes the trouble to see what is going on in the industry would see what Gerstner is seeing. The value of his story emerges from the listeners' ability to grasp the story and its implications because of their own clear and focused minds.As storyteller, Gerstner enters into a kind of tacit contract with his listeners. He agrees to tell the listeners a story and they agree, at the outset at least, to listen to his story. As he repays the listeners' attention with something valuable and self-contained, they continue to listen. His story begins by breaking silence and ends by returning to silence, leaving nothing unresolved. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. Be yourself ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Style isn't something separate from the person. Nor is it detachable from the content of what is said. Gerstner performs his story in a style that lets the content shine through. He stands behind what he has to say because he has seen it, and experienced it, and thought it out independently. He may be stating what is a common conclusion among experts in the industry at the time, but in expressing it, he is neither joining a chorus nor embracing a platitude.Instead, he presents his story as if it has the freshness of a discovery. He talks as though what he is saying doesn't come from following what he has been told to say by his public relations team or from a briefing of his technical experts. He doesn't point to the acceptance of others as grounds for accepting it. It is not the opinions of other people that gives force to his story. It is his conviction that he knows what he is saying to be true. As a storyteller, Gerstner presents himself as a thinking human being, not the head of a large bureaucracy or the construct of his handlers. In the apparent absence of these encumbrances, his utterances have a freshness that no committee of speechwriters can give. Gerstner simply presents the evidence that he has found and the reasoning that has led him to the conclusion that he has reached, just as anyone else would reach it independently with the same evidence and reasoning.He speaks, not as if he is trying to persuade, but rather as though he is presenting reality as it is. The implication is that listeners are free to draw their own conclusions, but if they were to draw any other conclusion than Gerstner's, they would be in error. Once he has shared his take on the situation with his listeners, his account becomes part of their lived experience of what is going on in the computer industry. They may conclude, just as Gerstner already has, not only that the experience has a bearing on the future but also that there is a need to update their previously held views.As a storyteller, he doesn't suggest that the listeners may be mistaken in their current views. He tacitly accepts that the listeners may well be justified in whatever views that they currently hold, given the range of experience to which they have had access, prior to hearing him speak. In telling his story, he is enabling the listeners to expand their lived experience so that they may conclude of their own accord that the views they have held up to this point need to be adjusted in the light of this newly acquired experience. It follows that the views the listeners now espouse are more likely to be aligned with his, because they derive from the same base of experience.1. Gerstner, L., IBM Press Conference Upon the Purchase of Lotus. (June 5, 1995). This article is based on Chapter 2 of The Leader's Guide to Storytelling Additional from Thomas Stirr Here's a few more: 1. Have a clear understanding of your audience and how your presentation fits into the overall program the audience will be exposed to - this will allow you to add value to the entire program by bridging and linking with other program components. 2. Make sure your client paints a clear picture for you on how they want the audience changed as a result of your specific presentation, then build your presentation with that goal in mind. 3. Only accept engagements on topics that you are absolutely intimate with. Ask yourself if you know your material so well that you could still present it for the entire duration of your time allotment if you lost all of your notes, props, or A/V support. If that thought makes your knees shake and makes you feel queasy... perhaps you shouldn't be presenting the topic. 4. Remember that you are there to serve the audience, not your ego... they are giving you the gift of their time... always respect it and give them full value. 5. Being allergic to a podium is a good thing! 6. Mentally rehearse your entire presentation until it becomes a part of who you are - then you can present while being in the moment with the audience. 7. Remember that people learn different ways - build a variety of learning styles into your presentation. 8. Expect some resistance and push-back from members of the audience – and celebrate them as opportunities to facilitate learning. Blogged on ~~~ Perfect Timing Wednesday, July 13, 2005 Worried about how long each slide will be up in front of the audience, or wondering how long your slideshow will really take? It may be time to rehearse using Microsoft PowerPoint's Rehearse Timings function. When you're ready to do a run-through of your PowerPoint presentation, pull down the SLIDE SHOW menu and choose REHEARSE TIMINGS. The slideshow will begin automatically, and as you change from slide to slide, PowerPoint will record the time it takes to present each slide, along with the accumulated time. When you're finished, PowerPoint will offer to show all the slides in Slide Sorter mode. This view shows the time, in minutes and seconds, it takes to present each slide.Blogged on ~~~ More slides, less time, less satisfaction Wednesday, July 06, 2005 As a presenter, you are creating more presentations with more slides, but you are less than happy with the time it takes, the quality of the result and the amount of time you actually rehearse. These are the findings of an Internet survey conducted by PowerPoint MVP Geetesh Bajaj and presentation coach and author Claudyne Wilder.The survey, conducted over two and a half months in 2004, polled 750 professionals who create slideshows and deliver presentations as part of their jobs. Sixty-one percent of those surveyed said they create between one and 30 electronic slideshows annually, and two-thirds present the slideshows in front of an audience. Although the respondents are creating and presenting regularly, only 22 percent of them said they were "very satisfied" with the quality of their presentations. And 25 percent of the respondents suspected that some of their presentations were "a waste of time." From the survey results, Bajaj and Wilder were able to identify four major trends: 1. Too many slides When asked what they would change about their presentations, an overwhelming 88 percent said their presentations were overly packed with slides, even to the point of being detrimental to the message. Half of the people said they would like to cut down on the amount of slides they present by 20 percent. 2. Too much prep time Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they spent more than three hours creating a slideshow for a 30-minute talk, and 61 percent used a canned template with content that required them to "sometimes or always" redo the template. Some 60 percent of participants said they could save between one and three hours of preparation time if they did not have to regularly redo the company presentation template. 3. Lack of effective images and graphics Many of the presenters wished for more effective slide templates and images in their presentations. Among those who used company designed templates or backgrounds, more than 40 percent felt these were ineffective or not worth using. Only 15 percent said their company provided predesigned tables, graphics and images that were actually relevant to their presentation's subject matter. The other 85 percent said they spent a great deal of prep time creating their own images and charts. 4. Not enough rehearsal Despite the admonition of presentation experts to practice, practice, practice, only 38 percent of survey participants said they rehearsed for their presentations. Among those who admitted this, 83 percent agreed that rehearsing would have improved their skills. Survey co-author Claudyne Wilder suspects that the high amount of slide-preparation time cuts into delivery rehearsal time. "People don't practice because they are busy trying to organize content and animate their slides," she says. The survey results in their entirety can be found at www.indezine.com/articles/buspres.html. Geetesh Bajaj is a regular contributor to Presentations magazine. Originally published in the June 2005 issue of Presentations magazine. Blogged on ~~~ It's easy to adjust the space between a bullet point and its corresponding text on a presentation slide. In Microsoft PowerPoint, begin by displaying the ruler (VIEW » RULER), then select the line of bullet-point text. On the ruler, locate the left-indent marker (the marker on the lower side of the ruler, pointing upward; be careful not to move the square marker below it). Drag the indent marker to the right to increase the space between the bullet symbol and the text; drag it to the left to decrease the space. The marker moves in increments of half the distance of the ruler marks. To further fine-tune the spacing, hold down the CTRL key as you drag the marker. Blogged on ~~~ Speak Up - tips Wednesday, June 29, 2005 Getting and holding an audience's attention is always a challenge. How do you make them believe that what you have to say is important and worth listening to carefully? Carmen Matthews offers several tips that have worked for her.Nine ways to keep an audience mesmerized and motivated By Carmen Matthews For a speaker, getting and holding an audience's attention is always a challenge. It begins the moment you open your mouth to say "Good morning" and ends with "Thanks for having me." How does one grab the audience's attention, hold it, and make them believe that what you have to say is important and worth listening to carefully? I have found that beyond topic research, audience analysis and making sure that everything in the room works, you must immediately unite everyone in the room toward a singular goal. Then you must continue to bring your audience into your speech, weaving their interests into your topic throughout the presentation. Here are nine tips that work for me. Before you take the podium Believe in yourself. Speakers become speakers when they have something to say. They are in the business of influencing greatness in others. But all speakers are human too, and fearful of what could go wrong talking in front of all those people. Your first mission is to get over your fear by taking the focus away from your inner drama. Consider it from the audience's point of view. They want to get something out of your talk, and you, the confident and prepared speaker, can bring it to them. Focus on how. In the beginning To develop instant rapport, consider opening with a question. Open-ended questions are a great way to grab an audience's attention and pique their curiosity. Keep in mind that the question needs to be intriguing and must be a question that can easily be woven into your presentation's theme. Add a timely pause after the opening question. This strategic pause gives you a chance to show the audience that you are genuinely talking to each and every one of them. Open your body language with appropriate hand gestures, project your voice and look around to gauge their reactions. A couple of brief seconds is all you need to pause before continuing. After the pause, begin by stating either your own answer to the question, or, if you have time, ask an audience member to share their reaction. This interaction does not have to be long and drawn out, but it does have to establish common ground between you, the speaker, and the collective experiences of the audience. Easing into the middle Your next step is to segue from the opening question into the presentation. Consider yourself the facilitator of this adventure. At this point, they are intrigued and anxious for you to take them forward. State the main goal of the presentation and, as you list your main points, explain to your audience why what you are about to share is important to them. Always come back to the audience's needs. As you present your ideas, sprinkle in general interest questions such as, "You do want to…, don't you?" or "Remember when we talked about this? This will help…" Such questions allow the audience to catch up with you, and help lead them farther along in the direction you want them to go. Don't forget to pause from time to time. This can be for effect, to gauge their reactions, or you can open up the floor to questions or comments. This keeps the discussion between you and the audience going, further building your credibility. The grand finale Every presentation should end with a brief summary to look back on what the audience now knows as a result of the presentation. Remember: As you reiterate your key points, you are also helping your listeners retain the information you've presented. End with a request for action. This is your time to sell an idea, product or service. Demonstrate how this desired action will fulfill their needs and benefit them, then explain the action you want them to take. No matter your topic, speaking environment or audience, a speaker must put the audience's needs first and foremost. If you do this consistently, your presentations will ultimately succeed, and you will appear confident and credible at the same time. What speaker doesn't want that? Blogged on ~~~ power point template Sunday, June 26, 2005 link 1link 2 Blogged on ~~~ Shadow control in PowerPoint Wednesday, June 22, 2005 A drop shadow can be added to just about any AutoShape in PowerPoint, but the trick to making it look realistic is knowing how to control it. The Shadow Style icon can be found on the Drawing toolbar and gives you the option of setting the direction of the shadow for any given image or object on a slide, as well as the Shadow Settings menu. Once visible, the Shadow Settings has tools for nudging shadows up, down, left or right, as well as the ability to change the color of a shadow and make it semitransparent.Blogged on ~~~ Top Tips – Using Templates Thursday, June 16, 2005 Templates can provide you with a useful way of creating a professional looking presentation that will help you get your message across. Good ones allow you to choose the elements that work best for you and for your message. Here are the three steps you need to follow, when selecting any template:Choose your colour scheme – think about the message you are trying to get across and select one that is appropriate. If you’re going to use your logo within the presentation, make sure the colour you pick works with your logo. Select a template style – again think about the message you are putting across, but also think about your audience. Should you pick a corporate style or something that is fun and funky? Add in a colour co-ordinated range of images – this can really wake up your presentation. Everyone has already seen the standard clip art images, so look for something more original and be sure to select ones that are relevant to your presentation – pens and paper for a business plan; a phone or a letter for communications. When you follow these three simple steps, you’ll always be able to create great templates and presentations that keep your audience awake at night! Blogged on ~~~ So you’ve spent a lot of time developing the best outline for your presentation and you’ve put a lot of effort into getting the words just right. But what about the way it looks? Because a large proportion of communication relies not on what your presentation says, but on how it looks, you need to create the perfect visual impression. If you’re not a graphic designer and you don’t have the budget to commission a brand new look every time you want to give a presentation, how are you going to make sure that your presentation looks as good as it should and gives out the right message? The answer is to use a template that someone has already taken the time to create. Using a template means that you get a standard and professional look throughout your presentation. The background will be the same colour, the bullet points on slides three and five will be the same style and in the same position. All your titles will appear in the same place. Here are three things to consider when choosing a template: Backgrounds The best slide backgrounds aren’t too wild or too distracting – if they are, your audience will spend more time looking at them and not enough time reading what’s on the slide or listening to you. Fonts To make your presentations stand out you need to use the right font. The easiest to read on a presentation screen are the sans serif fonts, such as Arial Verdana or Tahoma. Forget Times New Roman which works best when printed on paper. Also avoid fancy fonts like Trebuchet or Univers. They may look good on your computer, but if you e-mail the presentation, chances are, they won’t be installed on the receiver’s computer. Colour Schemes Does your presentation need to echo the colours used by your business, club or college? In the last few months we’ve added nearly thirty free PowerPoint templates to the website, along with a Presentation Template Builder that will take you through the process, step by step. Click here to try it out. taken from Jonty Pearce Blogged on ~~~ Animation duplication Wednesday, June 15, 2005 Adding the same animation effect to individual objects in Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 can be tedious, but here's a trick. Create your first object and apply an animation effect to it. Then select the object with the mouse. Hold down the CTRL and SHIFT keys simultaneously until a little plus sign appears next to your cursor. With the mouse, drag downward across the screen, and you will notice that your object has now duplicated itself along with the animation effect assigned to the original object.Blogged on ~~~ Export the text from a presentation Wednesday, June 08, 2005 Occasionally you might need to reformat your slideshow presentation as a text document or restructure it for a printed brochure. How do you pull only the text out of a Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow? If your text is in text placeholders, you can easily accomplish this.In PowerPoint, select FILE » SEND TO » MICROSOFT OFFICE WORD. In the resulting dialog box, choose the "Outline only" radio button and click OK. A Word document will open that contains your text. You can now change it any way you want. (NOTE: You cannot use this technique to collect the text that was added in PowerPoint using inserted text boxes, as this text will be treated as a graphic and ignored). (Tip provided by Ellen Finkelstein) Blogged on ~~~ |
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